Lightning Strike
by LCDRFireFly
Summary: While Church approaches the Expendables with a new mission Billy the Kid meets somebody from his past. How will this affect the team and the outgoing of their new assignment? Takes place before and after Expendables 2. Billy survived being stabbed by Vilain!
1. Chapter 1

**Lightning Strike by LCDRFireFly **

Billy Timmons x OC

Rating: T, later M.

**AN: Hey guys! It took me quite some time to figure this one out, but here is my Expendables fanfic. It focuses on Billy the Kid and my OC Kate and it takes place before and after The Expendables 2 in a slight AU where Billy survives being stabbed by Vilain.**

_**The Italics are flashbacks of Billy's and Kate's past.**_

**The story is named after the song Lightning Strike from Snow Patrol.**

**Now, I hope you enjoy the story as much as I do writing it! Feel free to leave a review on the way out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, just Kate.**

* * *

What if this storm ends?  
And I don't see you  
As you are now  
Ever again

A perfect halo  
Of gold hair and lightning  
Sets you off against  
The planet's last dance

Just for a minute  
The silver forked sky  
Lit you up like a star  
That I will follow

Now it's found us  
Like I have found you  
I don't want to run  
Just overwhelm me

What if this storm ends?  
And leaves us nothing  
Except a memory  
A distant echo

I want pinned down  
I want unsettled  
Rattle cage after cage  
Until my blood boils

I want to see you  
As you are now  
Every single day  
That I am living

Painted in flames  
All peeling thunder  
Be the lightning in me  
That strikes relentless

What if this storm ends?  
And I don't see you  
As you are now  
Ever again

A perfect halo  
Of gold hair and lightning  
Sets you off against  
The planet's last dance

Just for a minute  
The silver forked sky  
Lit you up like a star  
That I will follow

Now it's found us  
Like I have found you  
I don't want to run  
Just overwhelm me

(Snow Patrol: The Lightning Strike)

* * *

_Chapter 1:_

"Nice shooting, Kate!"

"Thanks."

The young woman smiled and chambered a new round, handing the rifle to the man standing next to her. Mr. Bennett took it with an imperceptible nod, than readied himself for the shot. He aimed, but missed the score Kate had set.

"Guess you owe me twenty bucks." she smirked and pulled out her earplugs. She'd decided to wear them even though she was used to the loud gunfire. Her ears were still a little deaf after last night's 'excursion' but she could not attract attention, hence the earplugs for Mr. Bennett.

That night she had been after a local drug dealer selling his product to kids. She could stand adults be stupid and take the stuff, but when it came to kids she knew no mercy. Eventually, it had ended in a minor shootout, but one of the cartel members had hit the gas tank of a nearby car causing it to explode in Kate's close proximity. Her ears were still ringing from the explosion but it would not last longer than a few days.

She was about to follow her boss, when a tall man wearing a coat and sunglasses approached them, but Kate didn't take further notice of him.

"Ms. Evans?"

She stopped and turned around to face the man, astonished that the stranger knew her name.

"Yes?"

"My name's Church."

"So how can I help you, Mr. Church?" Kate asked, a little puzzled by the man's appearance and his emotionless face.

"The question is more likely how I can help _you_." He made a small pause. "We know about your actions. About every single one. And we are offering you a way out."

One look into his eyes told her that he was definitely not bluffing. How on earth could he know that she had been taking down extortionists and small time drug dealers for the past year? She made damn sure that nobody would know. She had moved to the outskirts of New Orleans instead of back home to her family and friends. First, to make sure that she and her actions weren't placed with her or her hometown and secondly, to avoid that she was running into someone she knew. But it hadn't been enough.

"Who is we?" she asked defensively. She would neither confirm nor deny anything to that stranger.

"CIA. But it doesn't really matter. We do not have an interest in arresting you."  
"Then why are you here?" Kate wondered, slightly getting a bad feeling about the whole conversation.

"We are interested in your skills, Ms. Evans. You have a certain talent for languages that comes in handy for us and apparently you know how to take care of yourself."

"There are many people out there how have the same skills if not better." Kate retorted arms crossed in front of her chest. Church merely chuckled.

"Yes, of course, but neither of them is on the verge of going to jail for taking down criminals on his own and without jurisdiction of the government. That is why I am offering this job to _you_."

"I'm done working for the government." she merely scoffed.

"But you are clearly not done doing the right thing. Making the call when nobody else does."

Kate thought back at her time in the service. She had been interested in foreign cultures and languages ever since. Coming from a military family, she'd joined the service as soon as she'd turned 18. But she had the feeling that she needed to do more than just sit behind a desk and translate documents coming from the forces deployed overseas. She wanted to be there, to see for herself what it was like. So when the Air Force was looking for female interpreters in particular to facilitate communication with the female population in Afghanistan, Kate had volunteered without hesitation.

Her work led her to numerous girl schools and she loved interacting with these foreign and heartwarmingly kind people. Seeing the girls being taught to read and write, she knew that she was doing the right thing. But it hasn't always been easy.

Her thoughts wandered to the very day that had changed her life, ended her career and brought her here. The grief and disappointment were still fresh and she felt the anger boiling up.

Church was right. She wasn't done doing the right thing. Weighing her options she was enough of a rational thinker to know that his man in front of her wasn't kidding. He would put her in jail, so she slowly turned to him.

"Fine, what you want from me?" Kate asked cautiously. "I don't think that I can be of much use to your operations. Beside, don't you have enough spooks to put on that job?"

Church merely chuckled.

"I've got my contacts when I need things to be done loud and fast. But that's not what I've planned for you. There is a group working for me. They are quite good at what they're doing but they sometimes lack the emotional intelligence of a woman."

Kate remained silent for a few moments; thinking it over quickly. Should she really get involved with a man like Church? And she didn't know this group she was supposed to be working with. But Church's words stuck out to her: _Making the call when nobody else does._

As if Church had sensed her doubts he pulled out his phone and showed her some pictures. With every image, Kate felt the aching knot in her stomach grow bigger. He had proof of at least a dozen jobs she'd pulled over the last few months. He would send her to jail if she wasn't going to comply. She was sure of it now. With no other option left she nodded her agreement reluctantly.

Church merely smiled at her.

"Tomorrow, 1700 hours at this address." He handed her a small piece of paper. "Don't be late."

And then without any further comment he was gone.

* * *

While waiting for the next meeting with Church, Kate didn't dawdle away. She used all her military and ex-military contacts to get more information about Church and the group he was working with. But nobody could help her out. It seemed like nobody had ever heard about them. So she figured that they were not part of the force, no black ops, but still skilled enough to be hired by the CIA.

A sleepless night and a restless day later, still doubtful about the whole thing, she readied herself for the meeting. Putting on her soft leather jacket over her black tank top to conceal the gun in the back of her waistband, she looked at the woman in the mirror glancing back at her. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a bun and her bangs almost touched her long lashes. She flicked on her Ray Ban's and took in a calming breath while shooting one last look at her appearance. Confident, casual but still with a touch of femininity; except for the gun and the knife hidden in her ankle strap. _Let's see what this guy Church is up to. One can never be too cautious,_ the thought and closed the door of her apartment, heading to the location.

Half an hour later, she arrived at the address Church had given her which turned out to be a bar in the suburbs of New Orleans. It was an old bar; the neon sign above the entrance flickered from time to time, casting pale blue light on the numerous motorcycles standing in front and on the left hand side of the building. While waiting for Church, Kate could not help but admire the machines parked in front of the building. For a while she used to ride a BMW, but when being deployed most of her time, she decided to sell it. Now she watched two people exit the bar. The two men headed for the small bench on the eastern side of the building, sitting down and talking. While watching them, something about the younger man stuck out to Kate. But she could not instantly place him and had no time pursue her thoughts, because a familiar voice greeted her.

"Ms. Evans. Glad you could make it." Church said, stepping next to her, following her gaze. "You recognize someone?"

Kate shook her head, cursing that her expression had given her away. If Church was sending her on some kind of covert op, she better started working on her acting skills. She sighed a little angry with herself and followed Church to the bar.

* * *

_Meanwhile outside the bar…_

Following his boss out of Lacy's bar, Billy felt an aching knot in his stomach. It had been almost a year he worked with Barney's group and he really enjoyed it. But at night, when the others met up at Tool's or here, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. He had kept the letter she had written and he couldn't count the number of times he'd read it. The words written in her neat handwriting appeared in front of his eyes. He knew them by heart.

_Billy,_

_I am sorry that I can't tell you in person, but I am ordered back to the states ASAP. Guess my little stunt hasn't gone unnoticed. I will face and accept any consequence they put up for me, but I will never regret my decision. I made the right call and I would do it again. I will not dishonor the memory of your friend by caving in._

_I sincerely hope that you will never be put in a situation like this and I pray that you will finish your deployment unharmed._

_I will miss our little hideout. Having someone to talk to. Just sitting there with a friend. Maybe we see each other again- hopefully under better circumstances._

_Be safe!_

_K._

Caught up in his thoughts, Barney's voice brought him back to reality.

"This life. It isn't for you." his boss asked, sitting down next to him, facing the entrance.

_I sincerely hope that you will never be put in a situation like this._ Her words were still loud and clear in his head, but it had happened and it had resulted in his new job with the Expendables. Billy sighed.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure about it after I recovered from my injury. I thought about stepping away from it but this job… It is what I am." He gave Barney a sheepish smile. "After everything that's happened you guys are family and I will not let you down. But I have to take care of something before I can continue working for you."

_Maybe we see each other again- hopefully under better circumstances._ But were the circumstances really better? He working as some kind of good-guy mercenary, she been kicked of the force and probably lost? He hadn't heard from her since she left Afghanistan, so why would she want to see him now?

His mind must have been an open book as Barney asked softly:

"Something or someone?"

"Someone." Billy replied, not surprised that his boss could read him that well. "I met her when I was deployed overseas. We became really good friends, but then she was forced to leave the service and I think she took it pretty hard. Haven't been able to find her since and I've got the feeling that I need to look after her. At least make sure that she's OK before I can have your back again."

Barney nodded thoughtfully. In light of the recent events, Billy surviving being stabbed by Vilain and his recovery, he could understand that his youngest team member wanted to look after the ones he cared about. He wouldn't even blame Billy if he had decided to quit the Expendables, but during and after his recovery from his injuries he had suffered back in Albania they had talked long hours and he had the feeling that Billy was looking up to him not only as a team leader but as some sort of mentor. And truth to be told, Barney had taken a great liking in the youngest Expendable.

"Take the time you need, Kid. I can make some calls; get you some Intel on your friend. Anything, you name it."

"Thank you, Barney." Billy smiled genuinely. "But I have to do this on my own."

"I understand. Come on, let's get back inside. Since you will be on leave for a while, next round's on you." Barney smirked patting Billy's back.

"Roger that, Sir." Billy laughed resignedly and followed his boss towards the entrance.

* * *

The air inside the bar was stifling from the smoke of numerous cigarettes and too many people crowding the small place. Billy and his boss made their way to their table. Seeing the familiar faces of the other Expendables, Billy was about to ask who was up for another round when he noticed the two people standing next to where Lee was sitting. He recognized the man as Mr. Church, their on-and-off handler for certain CIA operations, but he didn't recognize the woman. She was blonde, tall, slender but still athletic and something about her height and built seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't place her. The two obviously had sensed their presence and when they turned around, Billy stopped dead in his tracks.

"Mr. Ross. Good to see you." Church said indifferently. Everybody in the room could feel that he didn't mean his words. "Let's talk." he nodded Barney to follow him. The leader of the Expendables didn't move. Instead he glanced to Kate.

"Oh, this is Ms. Evans. She will assist you and your team on the next mission."  
"There will be no next mission, Church. Last time…" Barney interjected, but Church cut is speech with a wink.

"Oh, yes Mr. Ross. There will be another mission." he merely said, is his voice dangerously low. "Follow me."

Reluctantly, Barney turned, not without a glance to Lee who obviously didn't like it either.

Left alone with a bunch of strangers except for one, Kate turned to Billy who had observed the short conversation motionless. Meeting his dark blue eyes, Kate couldn't help but hold her breath. She'd missed those kind blue eyes so much it hurt her to see them now. This was not the way she'd imagined their reencounter, but there was no turning back now. After a moment she pulled herself together.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Timmons. I guess we have a habit of meeting in bars." she chuckled with a wink.

"Kate, what on earth are you doing here?" Billy asked. He could not believe the coincidence. Not a minute ago he'd talked to Barney about getting some days off to find her and by some miracle she was standing right in front of him!

"Mr. Church offered me a job." she replied, but by her tone he could tell that it wasn't her complete free decision to accept it. He was about to question her, when he heard Lee clear his throat.

"Kid, don't you want to introduce us to your friend?"

Billy apologized.

"'Course. Kate, meet Lee Christmas, Toll Road, Hale Caesar, Yin Yang and Gunnar Jensen. Guys, this is Kate Evans." He pointed to every one of them who reciprocated her nod.

* * *

_Two years earlier…_

_The thumping of helicopter rotors mixed with the constant humming of generators as Kate was on her way to the galley. Over the past few months she'd become accustomed to the spartan lifestyle in the US Armed Forces FOB Griffin. But it was luxury compared to the command outpost they had slept in over the past few days. Running water, constant electricity not to mention real food and no MREs. They had been on a multi-day mission to one of the villages in the surrounding rural areas and even though Kate liked the direct interaction with the locals, she was glad to have her own bed to sleep in and something that actually deserved to be called a bathroom._

_In the galley she met up with her team. The five men were already waiting for her. As they saw her approaching, a grin crept over their faces causing Kate to sigh impatiently._

_"What is it this time, guys?"_

_"Better question: What took you so long, honey?" Brian, a tall man with short blond hair smirked good-naturedly. "Getting' pretty for the mysterious guy?"_

_"Look at me." she rolled her eyes. "I haven't even got time to take a proper shower."_

_Even though they had just finished their mission, they were always on a tight schedule and Kate had barely time to freshen up and change her dirty stained uniform for a clean one when their Captain had ordered them to get some food before the mission debrief._

_Brian leaned in and sniffed. _

_"You smell like roses, dear. I think he will love it!" _

_Kate pushed him away with a laugh._

_"Stop it, will you. He'd smiled at me once," she held up one finger, "and doesn't mean anything."_

_"Yeah, keep yourself telling that." Rico smirked as they shuffled forward in the line._

_Kate decided not to answer this aloud mumbling something under her breath. She really liked her team but sometimes the whole getting-picked-on-because-she's-the-girl thing wasn't treating her nerves too well._

_It had been a few times over the past couple of weeks that Kate kept running into that Army guy, once maybe twice a week. Not literally, but he would sit in the exact same spot with his team every time she got to lunch and if it hadn't been for her team mate Brian to tell her she probably would never have noticed him._

_"For heaven's sake, Kate!" Brian had laughed as they ate dinner one day. "He is practically undressing you with his eyes! Will you please look at him?"_

_"I'm not interested." she'd muttered, stuffing more noodles into her mouth to not have to answer the stupid suggestion. But her curiosity had been awakened. Why on earth was this guy stalking her?_

_"What, do you chicken, Tech. Sergeant Evans?" _

_"I am not!" Kate had exclaimed, letting her fork drop on the table. She was tired always having to justify her actions but she could not lose her face before her team. _

_Jesus, what's the matter with you, girl? she scolded herself. Just look and smile back and everything will be fine._

_With that she'd turned around and it had taken her no time at all until she'd spotted the guy her team mate had been talking about. He was sitting a few tables to her hind left glancing in her direction._

_His light brown hair was military short and he had a visible three-day stubble instead of being clean-shaven. A camouflage scarf was wrapped sloppily around his neck only emphasizing his rough and somewhat dangerous look. But when their eyes met and he reciprocated her look, she could not help herself think that she'd never looked in such beautiful kind blue eyes. They so didn't match his outer appearance but Kate was instantly fascinated by the contrast. He had returned her greeting nod with a smile before he faced his squad again._

_"See, wasn't so bad after all." Brian had teased her patting her on the shoulder._

_"Yeah, stupid." she muttered and turned her attention back to her meal. But all the appetite was suddenly gone. The only thing she could think about were those blue eyes. _

* * *

_The next days passed with Kate and her team stationed at FOB Griffin so she saw the handsome stranger in the galley almost every day. He would sit in his regular spot and greet her with a friendly nod and a smile when he spotted her._

_Her team was driving Kate nuts, urging her to talk to him, but she refused. She kept her distance for not letting a man interfere with her work or her reputation which could be easily destroyed by getting involved with a fellow soldier. However, she caught herself looking for him every time she entered the galley and had to admit that she was curious why this stranger had taken such an interest in her._

_One day, after long hours of mission preparation and tons of paperwork, Kate decided to go to the gym. While she ran on the treadmill, she had her iPod playing music from home. Her family and friends had put together a playlist with songs she liked and she always found it easier to stand the separation from her loved ones, knowing that they'd showed her their support in those songs._

_Still smiling about some memories from her last night out with her friends, Kate was on her way back to her bunk, when she spotted a couple of men approaching from across the yard. She didn't take notice of them until they started whistling when they saw her. It wasn't the first time that it had happened and she'd learned to ignore the unwanted attention. Only this time, the tight corridors between the containers would make it difficult to get past them. The dim light shed by only a few lanterns didn't make her feel any more comfortable but she wasn't about to turn back and make it look like she was scared of them._

_She squared her shoulders as she headed her way. She reached the group and when she was certain that everything would just be fine, one of the men purposely leaned in to brush against her as she tried to slip past. _

_"Hey, hands to yourself!" she said firmly._

_"So you mean I can't do this?"_

_There was a slap on her derriere followed by some raucous laughter. Her face flushed bright red and she whirled around. _

_"You heard me the first time!"_

_"Well, I'm not a very good listener, so you'll have to tell me again, babe." the man replied._

_Kate turned again to leave when she suddenly felt a large hand close upon her wrist. Fear was tightening her chest, but she wasn't going to show him._

_"Let go!"_

_The man came closer and she tried to step away but bumped into the wall of the container behind her. He pressed his body against hers, his leering face and stale breath unbearably close._

_"I've never seen you around. So won't you tell me where are you coming from?"_

_"Get off!" she shrieked, trying to push him off and feeling pain in wrist the stranger was pinning against the cold steel wall. But he just laughed and joked with his partner, who stood beside him._

_"Hey, get away from her!"_

_The order came with a strong shove and the man slammed back into the opposite wall two feet away. Kate could not believe her eyes as she recognized her savior. The blue-eyed stranger from the galley was blocking the way between her and them, shielding her from her attackers. _

_"Who do you think you are, buddy?" the stranger growled stepping closer to him. _

_"The guy telling you to take a walk."_

_The man raised a fist. _

_"I'm gonna…"_

_"What's going on here?"_

_Everyone froze at the sight of the officer, who stood there observing the scenery, waiting for an explanation._

_Kate's savior spoke first. _

_"Just a small disagreement, Sir. We'll be moving along now with your permission."_

_As soon as the officer nodded he took Kate's hand and pulling her with him and they left, though not before hearing the officer give a stern warning to the two men. They were far away from the area when he spoke to her. _

_"Are you ok?"_

_"Yeah, I think so. They were just a couple of morons." she mumbled, surprised by the look of concern in his eyes._

_"Well those 'morons' had you alone and cornered in an empty alley."_

_"I know how to defend myself." she shot back, but instantly regretted her harsh tone. She didn't want to appear ungrateful. "But I'm really, really glad that you came along."_

_"Me too. I was kinda lost. Are you sure you're ok?"_

_"Yes." Kate sighed. _

_There was a small pause where they looked at each other._

_"Where are my manners." he ruffled through his hair with an apologetic smile. "I'm Billy Timmons." _

_He stretched out his hand and Kate took it with a smile._

_"Kate Evans. Nice to meet you."_

_He glanced at her insignia. She probably was his age, maybe a little younger, but already an USAF Tech. Sergeant meaning she was a higher rank than him. He snapped to attention._

_"The pleasure is all mine, Ma'am."_

_He shot her a questioning look, as he saw her smirking._

_"Oh, for heaven's sake, cut the Ma'am crap. It makes me feel old. And besides, we're off duty." she added with a genuine smile. Billy reciprocated it sympathetically._

_"So where are you headed?" he asked her._

_"To my bunk. I was on my way back from the gym." she explained looking up to him. While seeing him in the galley she'd never noticed that he was quite a tall man._

_"Where is it located?" he asked. _

_Kate shot him a suspicious glance._

_"Why do you want to know this? Are you stalking me?" _

_That earned her a disbelieving look from Billy._

_"Why on earth would I stalk you?" he asked quite confused._

_"Well, you kept glancing at me in the galley and you showed here…" she trailed off realizing how ungrateful this sounded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." _

_"I was just wondering what a woman was doing in an USAF response team. I always thought women weren't allowed in ground conflict." he replied with such honesty Kate had to believe him._

_"And besides," a sheepish smile crept onto his features. "I saw you joking with your team. You have a nice smile and I would like to get to know you better."_

_Kate gazed at him completely caught off-guard. It took her a few seconds to find her tongue again._

_"That's rather flattering." she mumbled, trying her hardest not to blush. It had been a while since someone had paid her a compliment. A real one, not the mocking ones she got from her team mates ever so often._

_Billy, however, seemed to have sensed her discomfort._

_"I would really like to walk you back to your bunk, if that's OK for you. Just to make sure that you get there safely." he added as he caught her glance._

_"That'd be nice." she said with a small smile._

_"So, where is it located?"_

_She told him the segment and label and together they made their way through the camp. They walked in silence for a while before Billy spoke again._

_"Tell me, what is your actual job here, Kate?" Billy asked as they walked side by side thought the cold night air._

_"I'm an interpreter for the Air Force. They needed someone to talk to the female population, because it is often easier to gain the local women's trust when they can speak with a woman, so here I am."_

_"That sounds interesting." he replied. "What is your team doing? Just getting in contact with the locals?"_

_Kate nodded._

_"Yeah, mainly. Surveillance, patrolling. We are in charge of supervising the build-up of girl schools." _

_A sad smile crept over her face. Billy noticed it instantly._

_"But that's a good thing isn't it?"_

_"Yeah, sure. But there is so much…" she sighed "… so much hostility from the elders in some parts of the province. They don't want their children to be educated. They are afraid that they will see the misery they are in and abandon them. But these kids, they are not like that. All they want is to live in peace. In their homeland."_

_Kate sighed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She had no clue why she was telling this stranger this, but it just felt right._

_"But it's quite dangerous; going into these villages."_

_She nodded. _

_He'd experienced it multiple times. It was no walk in the park. His glance wandered to the gun holstered to her upper thigh._

_"So you are actually defending yourself?"_

_Kate glanced to him with an almost impatient sigh._

_"Dear, this is not just for show." _

_She patted on the gun holster then continued in a calmer voice._

_"I have to have my teams back, right? I cannot stand there and say 'I am a woman; I am not allowed to engage in live combat.' My squad leader is pretty much the same opinion so he treats me like every other male team member."_

_That earned her an impressed nod._

_"Do you get in this kind of situations a lot?" Billy asked watching her askance. She seemed to be tough but caring at the same time. And he liked her smart mouth. _

_"Sometimes the insurgents would just show up and open fire at us and at the kids, to make us quit our work. They say we are taking away their children but that's not true. We are just giving them the opportunity to go to a school. All we want is to help."_

_There was such desperation in her voice, Billy could strongly relate to her. He watched her ruffling through her hair again._

_"I am sorry. I don't know why I am telling you all this." she said with a sheepish smile._

_"No, it's OK. It's interesting to hear about your work."_

_"Well, enough about me." she stated, her mood lifted by his kind words. "I want to know something about my mysterious savior. You're US Army, right?" she asked her companion, still feeling bad about being so rude to him earlier._

_Billy nodded. "Almost six years now."_

_"What's your job?"_

_"I'm a sniper."_

_"Hm, nice. Takes a lot of patience."_

_"Tell me about that." he grinned without looking at her. _

_"We're here."_

_Kate stopped in front of the container she shared with three other female soldiers._

_"I guess you got what you wanted." she winked as she searched for her keys. _

_Billy shot her a questioning look._

_"Getting to know me better."_

_"I'm not anywhere close knowing you, Kate Evans." he said with a grin. "Maybe we can see each other again. Let's say tomorrow, same time same place?"_

_"You mean you saving me from some guys?" Kate raised an eyebrow. Her reply earned her a laugh._

_"I'd rather suggest we skip that. How do you feel about some coffee?"_

_Kate hesitated. She didn't know this guy, but something about his kindness stuck out to her. He was not like the other men on base and she wanted to know more about him._

_"Fine." she finally nodded._

_"Alright. Tomorrow 15.00 in the galley?"_

_"You think you're quite the guy, huh?" she shook her head disbelievingly about his final tone._

_"What, can I say? I am quite persuasive, Ma'am." he smirked._

_"So, do you always hit your mark?" Kate asked before she could stop herself, instantly regretting her flirting tone._

_"Always." he winked._

_Kate shot him a disbelieving look. Had she just agreed to go out on some sort of date with him? _

_"Fine. I'll be there. Good night, Billy. And thanks again."_

_He nodded with a smile._

_"Good night, Kate."_

_He turned around and without any further comment he was gone._


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2:_

_"I didn't think you would come." Billy greeted her the following day with a teasing grin. _

_"I gave you my word and here I am." Kate smiled as she lined up next to him to get her coffee._

_It had taken her quite some time to get rid of her team. They didn't need to know that she was meeting with Billy; it would only draw more attention to her which was the last thing she wanted._

_While slowly shuffling forward in the line they talked about yesterday's events. It was not the first time either of them had witnessed an incident like this and Kate was glad that she had gotten out of it unharmed._

_Taking their coffee, Kate followed Billy to a table at the far end of the hall away from the noisy crowd. Small groups of people were splayed over the tables talking to each other. They sat down and observed the bustle for a while._

_"This." Billy nodded in the direction where the noise was coming from. "It's driving me crazy sometimes. The noise, this cramped place. Not very helpful to come down after a mission."_

_Kate sighed._

_"Yeah, tell me about that. Must be quite a change for you."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Being in here, with all those people, and then heading out just with your spotter, completely alone. It's quite a difference."_

_Billy shook his head yes with a smile. She was a good observer and for someone he'd just met she knew him pretty well already. He liked her calm but playful manner and found himself very comfortable in her presence. Out of the spur of the moment, he made a decision._

_"Come with me." _

_Kate shot him a questioning glance._

_"We barely got here."_

_"I know. I want to show you something."_

_Reluctantly, Kate gulped down the rest of her coffee as she raised and followed Billy outside. They walked for about five minutes and she was about to ask what this whole this was about, when he suddenly stopped._

_They were standing in front of a huge pile of empty boxes and all sorts of decommissioned gear. Kate, who'd never been to that part of the camp, shot her companion a questioning look._

_"It's their backyard." he explained. "People rarely come here. That's why I like this place. It's quiet."_

_And Billy was right. As Kate took in her surroundings, she could not see a single soul. The noise of the more crowded parts of the camp was still there but it was a lot more muffled. She listened intently and even heard a bird sing._

_What a peaceful moment in such a hostile place, she thought and a smile spread across her face._

_"I knew you would like it." Billy said as he saw her smiling._

_"Is that where you take all your girls?" she teased._

_"No, but since I saw you disliking the noise and the packed camp as much as I do, I wanted to share this place with you." he said and the honesty and kindness in his voice made her temporarily speechless. "I come here when I want to relax. Just sit here, watch the others rush around."_

_"That's a nice idea." Kate smiled._

_"Come." he said encouragingly, offering her a hand. She took it as she followed him up the pile. Once on top, they settled in front of some old boxes which had been used to transport ammunition to the camp. Leaning against them, they stretched out their legs and let their gaze wander over the camp. The pile was about 15 feet high providing a good overview on their surroundings. _

_"What do you think?" Billy asked her as he observed her askance._

_"I really like it here, Billy. Thanks for showing me this spot." she replied with a genuine smile._

_"You can come here whenever you want." he offered._

_"No, I can't do that. It's your personal space to relax."_

_"I like to share." he smile with something in his voice that had Kate turn to him._

_"Share as in 'You can come here when I am not' or share as in 'I could use some company.'?" she asked him._

_"Both." _

_Kate let out a little laughter as she caught him actually blushing._

_"I don't know you very well, Billy Timmons, but you are a terrible liar."_

_"Fine, the latter." he could not help but reciprocate her smile._

_They sat together talking about everything and anything for the next hours. Their hometowns back in the states, family, and friends. At some time, neither of them had the urge to talk anymore and they sat in a comfortable silence for a while, observing the soldiers walking around in the distance. Their mission, the war; it all seemed so far away for Kate. Then, suddenly, her pager went off. She silently cursed as she read the message._

_"I have to go. Captain put us on backup patrol." she groaned and rose._

_"When?" Billy asked._

_"Departure in 10. I really need to go." _

_She was about to climb down the pile, but stopped. She turned to him, taking in the sight. Billy was leaning against the boxes, his stance relaxed but his eyes showing something she couldn't quite place yet. _

_"Thank you for showing me this place, Billy. It was really nice being here with you." she said with a genuine smile._

_"Feel free to come here anytime." he replied returning her smile._

_She nodded and was about to turn around, when she saw something in his eyes that made her halt. It was as if he was mentally debating with himself._

_"Kate?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"When will I see you again?" he asked tentatively._

_She gave him a small smile, quite humbled by his question. _

_"I don't know when we get back, but we keep in touch, OK?"_

_"OK."_

_"Take care."_

_"I will." she said a little surprised about his farewell and finally descended the pile jogging back to the camp._

_Billy watched her vanishing between the narrow rows of containers and sighed. For weeks he hadn't had the courage to talk to her and now she had been sitting with him the entire afternoon, chatting and laughing like they'd known each other their entire life. He really liked her and so he couldn't help but be worried about her heading out on a patrol; probably forced to engage in a fight once more. He couldn't quite explain this to himself, but he wanted her to be safe. He wanted her to return unharmed. He needed her to._

* * *

_Back in New Orleans…_

After being introduced to the men Billy was working with, Kate shook hands with each of his team members, but she could feel the reservedness and suspicion towards her. She had observed the strangers when Church had ordered their leader out of the room, so she decided not to take it personally.

Billy's voice roused her from her thoughts.

"What do you want to drink?"

"I'm fine, thanks." she turned down his offer, but the look he shot her had her laughing.

"Come on, Kate! We have to celebrate our reunion."

"Be careful what you wish for." she smirked as she saw the happy sparkle in his eyes. Absentmindedly, she wondered what had set him in such a good mood, but she had no time to ask him.

"Can you at least give me a hand with the drinks?" he asked nodding towards the counter.

"Sure."

She followed him through the crowd and watched him talking to the woman behind the counter. It was obvious they knew each other and again Kate wondered what had brought him to this place.

"So, Church recruited you on a mission?" Billy asked as they waited for their drinks to be prepared.

"I wouldn't use the word recruited." she rolled her eyes. Billy shot her a questioning look. "He left me no other option."

"And I have always thought that you wouldn't take shit from anybody." he smirked.

"Billy Timmons, watch your mouth." she scolded him teasingly. Their banter came so naturally; it was like they'd never been separated.

Their drinks were served and they headed back to Billy's friends. Kate had barely set down the last glass when a sharp voice made her stop in mid-motion.

"I suggest you don't get all too cozy with each other." Barney snarled, his hands probed up against his hips.

"I'm sorry?" she said, turning to face the man how appeared to be the leader of the group. The hostility in his eyes as he reciprocated her look made her nearly wince, but she didn't even blink.

"You will have plenty of time for your games later, Ross." Church interrupted the pair. "Let's sit down and talk."

Kate and Billy complied and watched Church and Barney Ross take their places at the table. The CIA handler came right to the point.

"A few days ago, we got wind of a weapons deal which is about to go down in Serbia. A man named Rafael Silva has come into possession of a program that could override the software of every US-missile stationed in Europe. Word is that Mr. Silva has no interest in using this technology but intends to sell it to the highest bidder. And that's where you come in."

"Don't you have enough people to pull this kind of job?" Lee asked.

"Seems like he hasn't." Barney muttered. Kate observed the short look the two exchanged, but remained silent.

"We have gathered Intel, that Mr. Silva has taken a particular interest to sell to some radical parts of the Russian militia. We will bring in Ms. Evans as a potential buyer to retrieve the software. It is absolutely necessary that you succeed." Church urged them. "We have to prevent that the former cold war turns into a hot one."

"Why do we need her specifically?" Barney asked, having heard this particular detail for the first time as well.

"Ms. Evans is fluent in Serbian and Russian and since your two last missions were a little…" he paused with a vicious look "… let's say dirty, I recommend you take someone who specializes into this kind of situations."

"We don't need her." Barney said.

"I don't ask you, Mr. Ross." Church said harshly as he rose. "I'll send you the details of the buy as soon as my contacts have set up a meeting with Silva. Till then you will prepare Ms. Evans for the mission. Good luck."

And without any further word, he was gone.

Kate as well as the Expendables watched him leave; thunderstruck. She'd expected to be part of some kind of covered op, but she'd never done any kind of undercover work. And when it came to eastern European militia groups she preferred to stay the hell out of their way instead of making some kind of business with them.

Now, Barney's voice roused her from her stiffness.

"Did you know about this?" he asked her harshly.

"No." she replied and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She could stand unfriendly people but it was not her fault that Church was forcing them to work together. "Look, I don't like this whole thing and obviously neither do you. But I suggest you get over whatever problem you've got with me because it's not gonna help to finish this assignment."

She took the pen and one of the napkins from the dispenser on the table and wrote down her phone number.

"Call me when to start with the preparations. Have a nice evening, Mr. Ross." she said with a fake smile and rose.

The seven men watched her exit the bar.

"She's got quite a personality." Lee chuckled as he watched Barney pick up the napkin.

"Haven't seen anything yet." Billy smirked recalling the memories of the last time somebody tried to mess with her.

"You know her?"

The sniper nodded.

"We served together and…"

"Wait, this is the woman you wanted to take some leave to find?" Barney almost gaped. Billy shot him an apologetic smile.

"She needs to watch her mouth." Barney stated.

"She's a good person." Billy replied, feeling the need to protect her reputation.

"Is she ready for this mission?"

From the few minutes he'd seen her, he could tell that she still was a fighter and hadn't lost her smart mouth. And concerning him, he'd seen her in far worse condition back in Afghanistan. But something had definitely changed. She wasn't doing this by her own free will.

"I don't know." he replied earnestly.

Weighing his options, Barney watched his youngest team member. He'd known Billy long enough to see that a caring person was hidden under the covers of a though sniper and what he'd told him outside the bar was still present in his mind. Though he didn't like to bring in a new person into his team Barney Ross trusted the Kid's opinion.

"Go and find out." he said with a small nod towards to door.

"Will do that, Sir."

* * *

While heading back to her car, Kate's thoughts kept wandering back to the encounter at the bar. Even though she was still angry with this guy Barney Ross and that he was questioning her ability to take care of herself and to do this kind of job, she could not help but be happy that she'd seen Billy.

Thinking about her friend, she wondered what had motivated him to work with these men. She'd expected him to be still in the service and she was curious why he wasn't anymore. Walking through the narrow alley towards the parking lot, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching her quickly. But not the innocent light kind, no; they were heavy and fast and she'd been there enough times to know that this wasn't just a random person passing her.

She continued her walk and when the stranger had almost caught up with her, she whirled around, drawing her gun and pointing it at the stranger.

"Don't you move or…" she was about to continue when she recognized the person she'd aimed at. "Jesus Christ, Billy! How many times have I told you not to sneak up to me from behind!" she exclaimed and lowered the gun.

"I'm sorry. I should have known better." he said with a mocking smile and she could not help but reciprocated it.

"Yeah, you should have."

* * *

_FOB Griffin, Afghanistan. A few weeks later…_

_Shortly after Kate and her team headed out for patrol, Billy returned to his bunk. Dusk was approaching fast and he had to prepare for a multiday mission the next day. _

_Going out, surveillance, patrolling, coming back… the days dragged on without anything exciting to happen. Whenever he was at FOB Griffin he would go to the place he'd shown Kate to see if she was there. But neither was she there nor did she show at lunch or dinner. _

_Four weeks passed without any word from her. When Billy returned from yet another exhausting mission, he went straight to his hideout. It had been a long day and the sun was almost setting, but he needed to clear his head._

_Making his way through the empty corridors between the containers he suddenly noticed someone walking in front of him. It was a woman and something about her height and slender but still athletic frame seemed familiar. As she rounded the next corner, heading straight for the pile of boxes, he recognized her. It was Kate. Billy smiled and quickened his steps to catch up with her._

_He decided not to call for her since he didn't want anybody to know that they were here. His steps were smooth and almost silent. He had almost reached her and already stretched out his hand to stop her, when she suddenly whirled around drawing her gun aiming directly at him._

_"Whoa, easy Kate! It's me. Billy." he said raising his hands defensively._

_It took her a second to process the information. Then she lowered the gun, shoving it back into her holster with an angry sigh._

_"Jesus, Billy! What's gotten into you?! Sneaking up on me from behind!" she shoved him back; still a little shaken that she'd drawn her gun on him. _

_"Sorry, I didn't know…" he trailed off as he saw the look in her eyes. "I'm sorry." he mumbled and stepped closer. _

_"Are you OK?"_

_"I wouldn't have come here if I was fine." she snapped at him._

_"What happened? You can tell me, Kate." he said, his voice kind and calm as ever._

_"That's none of your business." she fired back instantly regretting her outburst. "I'm sorry." She ruffled through her hair. _

_"Can we just sit down and not talk?" she asked with a pleading look._

_"Yeah, sure." Billy replied and followed her up the pile, sitting down next to her._

_For a while they fell silent, just gazing at the darkening sky and the camp being lit up sparsely._

_"You've been injured." Billy said at some point. It wasn't a question._

_Kate turned to him._

_"How do you…"_

_"You favored your left side when you climbed up here." he simply stated._

_He'd been there enough times to know that she wasn't going to talk until she was ready. He wouldn't push her. And eventually, after a few minutes, she sighed and repositioned herself carefully._

_"We were on this routine foot patrol, when some insurgents suddenly popped up and decided to ambush us." she said in a small but measured voice. "The guys stationed with the trucks couldn't provide cover fire without endangering the locals so we had to make a run for the vehicles. One of my team got hit and I supported him while we were heading towards the others. Two people clutched together like this make a nice target. I took two to the back but they didn't go through my vest. Hey, relax." she chuckled as she heard Billy gasp. "I am fine. Just a few bruised ribs and a sprained wrist because the impact knocked me over."_

_She made a small pause collecting her thoughts._

_"We made it safely to the trucks without any further injuries. My team mate will be back on his feet in a few days, just a flesh wound on his thigh."_

_"But that's great, right?" Billy said but Kate groaned._

_"Yes, of course! We were lucky and I should be relieved and grateful, but all I can think about is what if. What if he'd aimed higher and hit an artery? What if the bullet had gone through his vest? I've never come to close to see a friend die and suddenly I was so afraid that something terrible could happen to my team, my friends…" she trailed off._

_"You were worried about your team?" Billy shot her a disbelieving look. "It was you who took two shots to your vest! You could have died as well, Kate!" he exclaimed._

_It took him a lot not to laugh at the thunderstruck look Kate shot at him._

_"Me? But I was fine." she deadpanned. _

_Billy could no longer stay solid. A laugh escaped him as he shook his head in amazement._

_"Kate Evans, you are the most selfless person I know."_

_The young woman remained silent for a few moments. When she spoke up again, her voice was barely a whisper, but Billy could make out the fear within._

_"It was such a close call." _

_On the spur of the moment, he reached for her hand, entwining her fingers with his, squeezing it lightly. Kate shot him a confused look but didn't withdraw her hand._

_"You're not alone on this. Not ever." Billy said quietly as he redirected his glance towards the camp._

_"Thanks." Kate whispered as they sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence._

* * *

**AN: Reviews are greatly appreciated! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you guys for the reviews! They made my day! This is the last chapter containing flashbacks of Kate's and Billy's time in the service.**

* * *

_Back in New Orleans…_

"Are you stalking me again?" she asked with half a smile as she put the gun back into the waistband of her pants.

"Kind of." Billy replied and ruffled through his hair. Kate had seen this gesture enough times to know that something was bothering him.

"Barney's sending you." she stated and his look proofed her right.

"He wants me to check on you- if you are mission-ready."

"And what will you tell him?" Kate asked, genuinely interested in this particular answer.

"Already told him that you're the best he can get. He didn't believe me." Billy smirked and it was not the first time that Kate thought that his smile was infectious.

"So maybe I can bribe you, Mr. Timmons?"

"You wouldn't do that." Billy laughed as he saw the amused sparkle in her eyes.

"Oh, I would. How about some coffee? Maybe I can make you drunk of caffeine and send you back to your boss."

Billy shook his head with laughter. She hadn't changed one bit.

"Fine, but you have to tell me how you got involved with a guy like Church."

"Likewise." Kate rolled his eyes started walking out of the alley. They went to a small coffee bar and sat down at a table at the window after they'd ordered. A small but not uncomfortable silence fell upon them before Kate spoke.

"You've quit the service." she stated and Billy nodded. "What happened?"

"You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do." she insisted searching for his eyes.

They shared a long look and Billy wondered how he'd borne it so long with her not around. The sincerity and kindness reflecting in her green eyes; it hit him that he'd missed her ever since she'd left even though he'd kept himself telling that he was just as fine without her.

Taking a deep breath he started telling her about the events that had led to the end of his military career and to start working for Barney's group.

Hearing about the loss of his entire team, Kate felt incredibly sorry for her friend. When he finished his story, silence feel upon them.

"I'm sorry." she whispered after a few moments.

"Don't be. It's in the past." he said with a small smile. "I am happy with my new job and the Expendables are really nice. They are!" he laughed as he caught her disbelieving look. "You have to get to know them better."

"I am not sure if I want to." she scoffed. "But Church left me no alternative."

"How comes that he has you by the short and curlies?" he asked and Kate told him about her meeting with Church and that he'd practically threatened to put her in jail if she wasn't going to play along.

Hearing her story, Billy was not overly surprised that she was doing what deemed right in her eyes but it somewhat shocked him that Church had cornered her like this. He knew firsthand that the missions he and his team were doing weren't a walk in the park and he could not help but worry about her wellbeing.

"Maybe you can cut some kind of deal with him?" he suggested, but Kate shook her head.

"This is the only option I've got left."

"But if you are going to work with us…" he paused searching for the right words "It's not like we've got any backup."

"I know how to handle dangerous situations." she said defensively.

"I am well aware of that, but…" he trailed off and she knew exactly what he was thinking about. "It could end badly."

"Yeah, tell me about that." she replied sadly.

* * *

_FOB Griffin, Afghanistan…_

_Over the next months Kate and Billy hung out together whenever they got the chance. Their time in between missions, training or other tasks was very limited, but they sneaked out to their little hideout whenever possible. Meeting at their place in the camp's backyard they would talk about everything that got to their mind. Sometimes it was about their missions, then about random things from their everyday life or stories from home. Or they would just sit there, one telling about the things he'd experienced when being on a mission while the other would patiently listen. SECDEF had declared the entire operation to be humanitarian one, but as time passed both Billy and Kate had their doubts about it. Kate and her team came under fire more often and at some point they couldn't go on without more protection._

_One day, Kate was already sitting on top of 'their pile' when Billy showed up. He climbed up and sat down next to her, obviously in a good mood._

_"What's with the smile, Mister?" she asked as she spotted him._

_"What can I say? I am a happy person." he smirked as he leaned his head back closing his eyes enjoying the blazing sun. Winter was approaching fast so they took every opportunity to catch the last rays of sunlight. _

_"Spill it."_

_"My squad leader finally listened to me about the safety problems. I told him that we couldn't go on like this and that I know from you that your team has similar problems. And guess with what his second in command came up with? A joint Army- Air Force op. First my squad leader wasn't too happy to have a joint op with the Air Force but it turned out that he and your captain are buddies and wanted to work together for a while. Mission starts tomorrow at 0500." _

_Kate gaped at him._

_"You mean…"_

_"Yep, I'm seeing you in actual combat." he smirked. Ever since he'd learned about her being involved in ground action, he would tease her about how she would look in her combat gear. She on the other hand would complain about him being a chauvinist and they would end up laughing about each other. But now the smile was wiped from his face as he saw her look. It was filled with worry._

_"Billy, do you really think this was a good idea?" she groaned. "Us working together?"_

_The sniper sat up straighter._

_"What do you mean 'us'?"_

_Kate waved impatiently with her hand._

_"Us. You and me."_

_"So there is an 'us'?" _

_Kate could not help but wince as she heard the hopeful tone in his voice. She liked Billy, she liked him a lot. But this was neither the time nor the place to think about personal feelings let alone a relationship._

_"There is no 'us'." she said._

_"But you said 'us'." he pressed on._

_"Billy, for heaven's sake…" Kate all but whined; then she caught sight of the smirk on his face. _

_"Relax." he laughed. "We'll be fine."_

_"I swear if you prank me just one more time…" she tried to sound angry but she could not stay solid for long. She chuckled quietly and they resumed their position leaning against the boxes enjoying the sunshine. Little did they know that the next day would change their life forever._

* * *

_The next morning, Kate got up way before dawn. She packed her things and put on her uniform and gear. Over the past months she'd become used to carry the almost 45 pounds of gear and weapons, but today it was not the physical weight that lay on her. Ever since she'd woken up she had a bad feeling about this mission. But as Brian knocked on her door to tell her that they would leave in a few minutes, she pushed the thought aside and tried to focus on the mission._

_Following her team mate through the cold morning air, they gathered at the parking lot. The maintenance crew was already preparing the vehicles. Watching them for a while they waited for their backup team to arrive._

_Last night, Kate's Captain had briefed them on the upcoming mission. It was their biggest so far and it had an entire different aim than their previous ones. The group would contain two Air Force teams, Billy's team as backup not to mention the usual patrol set that participated in their actions. They would head to a village where Army- Intel suspected the heads of the most recent attacks on Kate's team._

_"We're done getting shot at every time we go out there. Now we show them what happens when they mess with us." her Captain had said and the others had hollered in approval. But Kate just couldn't shut out the doubts about this operation. Not that she was afraid of the danger they would be heading into. It was just a gut feeling she had ever since Billy had told her about the joint op. _

_But the young woman had no time to pursue her thoughts, because a few minutes later, the Army support group showed up. Kate watched the twelve men exchange friendly nods with their groups. _

_Then her Captain started to check everyone's attendance and went for a short mission briefing. The other Air Force team would take the lead when breaching into the village, followed by Kate's team. The Army would provide cover fire if necessary, covering both: the close perimeter and the whole area with Billy and his spotter and a second sniper team. He pointed out important landmarks and escape routes and asked for questions._

_"Anything. Don't hesitate to ask." he said in a deep sincere voice. His gaze wandered to each soldier under his command. Finally, he nodded satisfied. "Alright, wheels up in 5. Good luck, gentlemen." _

_Everybody went for their respective vehicles to buckle up. While Kate took her usual spot next to Brian, the Captain came to their truck. _

_"Masks on, this is mandatory for everybody." he ordered with a short look to Kate. Everybody nodded their understanding. The procedure was necessary to protect her. If the insurgents would see a woman participating in the raid, they would consider her an easy target and possibly try to take her hostage. So everybody in the team would mask their features to prevent this._

_But before this would be necessary a two hour ride lay ahead of them. Shortly before they arrived at their destination, the convoy came to a short halt, letting the two sniper teams exit the vehicles. They would set up on top of the ridgeline near the village._

_While Billy and the three other men made their way to their spot and set up shop, he could not help but think about Kate. He admired her courage to participate in such an op and he was glad for her that her team leader put such faith in her abilities._

_Now peering through his scope he watched the convoy coming to a halt in close proximity to the village. The soldiers were dismounting one after another and taking place in their formation. They all looked alike, but after a short period of time, Billy saw her. Despite her being a tall woman, he recognized her by her slender frame which was almost completely concealed under her gear. Like the rest of the ground forces she was wearing a mask under her helmet and was now readying her rifle. _

_After a short com-check, the mission started. Billy watched the two Air Force- teams sneaking into the village. Hearing their whispered orders, he got an idea where they must been located. The houses were very close to each other and he had no continuous visual on the troops all the time._

_Then all of a sudden, orders were yelled; then shots cracked and echoed through the valley, most probably coming from his people returning the hostile gunfire. Then, everything happened very fast._

_"We got four down, where the hell is number five?" someone from the USAF guys yelled._

_"I got him! Five down! Let's get the hell out of here!"_

_"I've been hit, fuck! I repeat, I've been hit!"_

_Billy sucked in a sharp breath, it was someone from his team, but he couldn't tell who. But then his blood froze._

_"I'm going back in. He was the closest to my last position." It was Kate talking._

_"No, it's too dangerous! He's caught in crossfire."_

_"We have to get him out of here!"_

_"Fine, then I am going with you, Ma'am." This voice was familiar to Billy. It had been his team mate Ben to offer his help. Still not sure who they were trying to get out, he radioed his team mate._

_"Ben, this is sniper two. Where is your location?"_

_"Sniper two, we are adjacent to the green building to your one o'clock. Do you see our guy?"_

_Billy peered through the scope and saw what he wanted. One of his team was crouched behind a mud wall, clutching his right side._

_"Roger that. He is about fifty meters to your right. But I have no clear visual on the insurgents."_

_"Copy that. We are going in. Where is everybody else?"_

_"Retreating to the vehicles. Seems like they're just waiting for you."_

_He could hear his team mate swear and wondered why the others were retreating when some of their own were still in danger. But he had no time to find out, because Ben was talking to him again._

_"Won't take long. Ma'am, are you ready?"_

_"I'm good. Let's go."_

_Peering through his scope ever so hard, Billy watched Ben and Kate make their way to the wounded comrade. They came under heavy fire, but Billy could not see the shooters. He silently cursed, but was relieved to see that they'd got to the wounded soldier unharmed._

_"Come on, let's get you out of here, Donny." Billy heard Ben shout over the gunfire that still rang through the air. _

_"Retreating to the vehicles now." Kate radioed in, as she and Ben helped the soldier named Donny to his feet._

_"Roger that, Evans. Hurry up."_

_Ducking their heads, guns raised as good as possible while guiding the injured through the narrow streets, Billy tried his hardest to stay calm and focused. He had to keep it together in case they needed his support. But he didn't like the heavy fire the three were under, he didn't like it one bit._

_But by some miracle they made it to the outskirts of the village within minutes. Now, they had to travel a short distance to the vehicles where they had no cover at all. This would be the most critical point._

_"Alright, here's the plan." Billy heard Ben pant, as they took cover behind another wall._

_"I finally got the radio back online. Air Force and the patrol set will provide us cover fire, while we make a run for the trucks. Do not return fire, do not look back, just run as fast as you can. OK?"_

_The other two nodded their understanding._

_"Alright, on three!"_

_He counted to three and with his last word they took off for the vehicles. Gunfire rang through the air and this time Billy saw some of the shooters. They had been laying on the rooftops and where now standing to get a better aim on the three soldiers. One after another he took them out with precise shots. But he was not fast enough. He was about to go for the last target, when he saw Ben collapse just in front of the first truck. A round had pierced his upper body, gone through the vest. _

_Kate and Donny had made it to safety, the others beginning to threat his injuries immediately, but Kate had already turned around to go for Ben, when her Captain stopped her. The gunfire was unbearable heavy and there was no way to get Ben out of harm's way without being shot. He was hit by another round, his body to jerking up in an odd way._

_"Noo! We have to get him out of there! We have to get to him!" Billy could hear her scream, fighting her Captain tooth and nail. But he was pinning her down relentlessly._

_"Noo…" she cried, but it was too late. Ben was gone._

_"Sniper one, sniper two. Clean up and head to rally point alpha. Be ready to be picked up in five." The Captain's voice came over the radio and the last thing Billy saw through the scope were the vehicles forming a shield around his dead friend to pick him up._

_The way to the rally point, the way back to the camp- everything passed in a haze. Billy didn't realize that they were home until the convoy came to a halt at the gate. They passed the gate and the vehicles were parked in their respective spaces. Everybody was dismounting and talking about what had just happened. It seemed that the radio had been broken temporarily so nobody except the sniper teams, Ben and Kate had been able to communicate with each other. _

_Suddenly, he heard raised voices, accusations were shouted and a turmoil erupted. Billy turned to see what was going on._

_"This is all your fault!" he heard his squad leader yell. Making his way to the small crowd, he could now see at whom he was yelling. It was Kate. She stood there, mask and helmet in her hand, the palest he'd ever seen her; looking incredibly fragile and lost. She'd been crying, but her eyes were blazing with anger._

_"What? It's my fault, that the radio broke and your man got shot while we tried to get one of your guys out of there?!"_

_"This would never have happened if we hadn't allowed you to participate in this. I knew it was a mistake to take a woman with us. You are not suitable for this, you are weak…"_

_He didn't get to finish his sentence, because Kate had jumped on him, her fist connecting with his jaw._

_"How's that for weak?!" she yelled and was about to engage a second time, but one her team mates stopped her. Some men where hollering in approval because they were seeing a fight. But fast as the small riot had started it was brought to a sudden end. Her team mates were pulling Kate back from the Army squad leader who spat blood on the dusty ground._

_"This will have consequences!" he hollered, also restrained by his team members to prevent that he was going after her._

_"Bring it!" Kate yelled back, brushing off the hands of her team mates and headed for her bunk._

_As desperately as Billy wanted to go and check on her, he knew her well enough that she needed some space right now. So he followed his team back to the mission debrief and sighed with relief when he heard that his team mate Donny had been severely wounded but would be OK in a few weeks._

_The debriefing lasted for hours. A man had been killed in action and even though everybody was more or less in shock about it, there were a lot of questions to be answered. But Kate didn't show up. Eventually, they were released and went to their bunks. Unsure what to do, Billy found himself wandering to their hideout, but he wasn't surprised when he found it vacant. He felt empty, he felt angry and he was mourning the loss of his friend, still disbelieving that it had really happened. One of his team had died. Rubbing his tried eyes, he turned and went back to the camp. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready for this, but there was only one way to find out. _

* * *

_Kate didn't show for the group debrief because right after the incident with Billy's squad leader she had been pulled aside for a special interrogation. She sat there with lots of important people she didn't really care about and she answered their questions mechanically, still in shock about the latest events. When her CO finally had dismissed her from the debriefing, it was nearly midnight. Still wound up in her thoughts she walked aimlessly through the camp. She didn't realize that her feet had taken her to the small makeshift chapel on the base. Fallen soldiers would lie in state here and comrades could come to pay their respects._

_Slowly, Kate approached the doorway. Two soldiers stood honor guard at the entrance and Kate recognized them as Billy's team mates. She nodded her condolences, but their faces remained impassive. She walked past them and stepped inside. The room was lit with candle light and a few chairs stood in front of the coffin over which the flag was laying. She approached the coffin unsure what to do, when a familiar voice spoke to her._

_"Kate?" _

_Billy was standing in one corner of the room, bent over a book where everybody could write down their condolences for the fallen soldier's family._

_"Billy…" she said faintly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." she backed off, but he stopped her._

_"No, please stay. I could use some company, I guess." _

_His voice was shaky and by now Kate noticed the guitar in his hand._

_"Come, sit down with me." _

_Kate complied and settled next to her friend watching the candles flicker in the silence. Memories of the past hours rushed back to her head, smothering her, making it unable to breathe, to think. I was her fault and there was no way to make it right._

_Billy's soft voice eventually roused her from her dark thoughts._

_"Did you know Ben gave me this guitar?" he asked. Kate shook her head no. "One day we talked about music and he would just give it to me saying that he'd bought a new one. He taught me how to play. … He taught me so much." his voice trailed off and silence fell upon them once more._

_Kate could feel that he was mentally debating with himself if he should play, if he was able to. But she knew he wanted to show his brother in arms how much he meant to him. Gently she placed her hand on his back, feeling his unsteady breath under her palm._

_"You're not alone on this, Billy. Not ever." she said using the exact same words as he had when she had been shot. He looked up to her and gave her a small smile. Taking a deep breath he reached for the guitar and concentrated on the instrument._

_She didn't know the song but it was quiet and sad and uniquely beautiful. It was as if the tunes were telling Ben's whole life here and back home as well as the appreciation and friendship of his comrades. It was Billy's personal farewell to his friend._

_He didn't know how long he'd played but when he ended the song, he felt a lot calmer than before. The anger and the sadness had been replaced by silence and peace. Slowly, he turned to Kate only to find her crying next to him._

_"Hey. It's OK." he said gently as he put his arm around her. It hit him hard to see her that upset._

_"This is all my fault. He could still be alive." she whispered her eyes fixed on the coffin. Then she was turned around with a start, Billy's eyes locking with hers._

_"Kate Evans, don't you dare say such thing." There was such decisiveness in his voice it made her hold her breath. "Ben knew exactly what he was doing and he was well aware of the danger he put himself into. He helped you save his friend. So don't you dare desecrate his memory by blaming yourself! You helped him do something he believed in."_

_Slowly, Kate began to process his words finally nodding with a faint smile. He was right. Billy was right. She'd made the right call and Ben had helped her save Donny and sacrificed his life for the life of his friend._

_"Yeah." she nodded and wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek. "But your team thinks that I am responsible for…"_

_"Stop. Just stop beating yourself up for what you can't change anymore." he said soothingly. They sat in silence for a short while before Billy rose. _

_"Come. Let's get some fresh air."_

_She glanced at him and nodded. They got up and as Kate stood in front of the coffin Billy's words were loud and clear in her head. 'He helped you save the life of his friend.' And she would not let anyone dishonor his memory or what he'd did for the one's he cared about, Kate thought as she saluted one last time for their fallen comrade._

_When she followed Billy outside, she turned to salute to the guard of honor. Given the hostility she'd felt when she came here, she was surprised that they stood to full attention as she raised her hand to her temple. She gave them a small smile and as she looked from one to another she could have sworn that she'd seen a tear shimmering in the men's eyes. _

* * *

_They walked in silence for a while both dwelling on thoughts. Kate absentmindedly rubbed her hand. Her knuckles were bruised and still hurting from the punch she'd delivered to Billy's squad leader. _

_"You have a mean swing." Billy said with a quiet chuckle as he saw her movements._

_She rolled her eyes at him, but was glad that he tried to enlighten her mood._

_"Yeah, probably not good enough."_

_"At least everybody in the camp knows not to mess with you." _

_Kate smirked, but turned serious immediately. _

_"I've a gut feeling that this time, I don't get off the hook that easily." she confessed and came to a halt turning to face her friend. "Billy, if this goes up the ranks to SECDEF, this could end my career."_

_"Hey, relax. They won't kick you out of the service. You've saved a man's life."_

_"Yeah, but I've disobeyed a direct order. I've taken action in a live fight and I didn't have the clearance. This could end badly." she whispered ruffling through her hair. "I've spend my entire life in the Air Force and even though I had my doubts about this mission, I don't really know what else to do. I cannot imagine a life without this." she made a hand movement including their surroundings._

_She was about to round the next corner, when Billy stooped her._

_"Kate, they won't kick you out and even if they do: you are a wonderful person and I don't know anybody that caring and courageous as you. You will find your way; with or without a uniform." A sheepish grin crept onto his face as he added: "Even though I would really miss you in your cammies."_

_"Thanks, Billy." she whispered barely keeping her tears at bay. It had been an emotional day and hearing such a sweet thing from her friend was something truly special._

_"Shh, come here." he said gently as he pulled her into his arms. _

_Kate placed her head against his chest and inhaled his scent. It was calming her instantly. She felt his hands rubbing comforting circles on her back and she could not help herself but to lean into his touch. Flexing her wrists behind his neck, she placed her hands on the back of his neck feeling the warmth under her palms. Without actually realizing her upper hand began caressing the soft skin under his hairline._

_"Kate…" he murmured leaning into her touch his breath hitching. But she could not bring herself to stop it. She needed to feel him. She needed to know, to physically know, that he was right here._

_"Hm?" she hummed as she continued exploring his neck. She felt his hands moving from her upper back to her waist, gentle but firm._

_"Kate…" _

_His tone was something between a warning and a whimper. The sound of her voice and her touch almost drove him crazy. He could not think clearly. All he knew was that he wanted the woman in his arms. He wanted her to be OK. To be with him. So he reached up, gently cupping her face with his hands and bent down, his lips finding hers._

_For a second, he felt her go stiff in his arms; then she leaned into the kiss reciprocating it ever so passionate. But the soft moan that escaped her lips as his hands found their way under her shirt brought him back to reality._

_"I'm sorry. I can't…" he panted; a look of shock in his eyes about what had just happened._

_"No, I get it." Kate said; her cheeks still flushed from the kiss. He was right, this was insane. They could not do this. Not after all that had happened. _

_Billy shot her a suspicious look._

_"Get what?"_

_"That you don't want this."_

_Billy sighed and pulled her close once more, his eyes fixed on hers._

_"I do want this. But not here, not now, in this situation we're in. You know?"_

_Kate shook her head yes, but he wasn't convinced._

_"Kate, you've become one of the most important persons in my life and I don't want to lose you."_

_"You're not gonna lose me." she said softly tracing his features with her index finger. It took Billy all his self-control not to lean into the sweet tempting touch. _

_"This deployment is over in two months. Why don't we finish up here and when we get back to the States..." he trailed off, his words with a hint of uncertainty._

_"Are you asking me out, Billy Timmons?" Kate smirked about his unspoken suggestion._

_"No." he replied but his smile proofed him a liar. He pulled her into an embrace once more. They held onto each other for a few moments before they reluctantly get go._

_"We should probably get back to our bunks." Billy said and Kate nodded in agreement. She looked up to him with a shy smile and together they went back to their bunks. _

* * *

_Finding more sleep than she'd expected Kate got up the next morning to meet with her team. When she entered the room, she instantly knew that something was going on. She shot her friends a questioning look, but they remained silent._

_Deciding that she was not in the mood for any sort of games, she was about to ask what was going on, when the door on the other side of the room opened and two strangers stepped inside. Kate recognized them as MPs. Before anybody could ask any questions, one of them spoke up._

_"Tech. Sergeant Kate Evans, we need you to come with us right away."_

_Kate was about to step forward, but her team leader stopped her._

_"She's not going anywhere."_

_"I'm afraid this is not up for discussion, Sir. Ma'am."_

_"Fine, then I'm going with her. I am her CO."_

_Kate looked to her Captain, thankful for his camaraderie, but she shook her head. Her gut feeling had been proven right. She had known it all along and she would face the consequences of her actions without being afraid. Or at least she would try. Her thoughts wandered to Billy and the events of last night. She'd enjoyed his presence so much, but she could not bring herself to tell him that she was leaving, most likely forever._

_"Let it go. I will be fine." she said softly and took in the sight of her team. "Can you give me two minutes?" she asked the strangers who exchanged an uncertain look. "I just need to write a quick note."_

_They finally agreed and Kate sat down, taking a sheet of paper and the pen Brian offered her. She collected her thoughts then began to write in a swift neat handwriting. Flying over the lines once more, she finally folded the paper and handed it to her team mate._

_"I trust you on this. You know where to take it."_

_Brian nodded; a sad look in his eyes._

_"We have your back, Kate. Always."_

_"I know." she replied with a smile and squared her shoulder. "I am ready."_

* * *

_Back in New Orleans…_

"After Church came, I called my contacts, but nobody has ever heard from you guys. So I figured this kind of job would come without any backup." She took a sip of her coffee. "Billy, I've been taking down drug dealers, extortionists, all sorts of criminals over the past months and I've done it on my own. I know how to take care of myself and just because your boss has some issues with women I will not back down and risk going to jail."

"I know and it's not like that." Billy replied wriggling on about his chair.

"What is it then?"

"I can't tell you." he replied visibly uncomfortable with the situation. "But if he sees you in action he will be less…"

"Hostile?" Kate offered.

Billy laughed.

"You will get along with him, I promise."

The ringing of Billy's phone interrupted them. Kate observed him askance as he answered the call. Even though he'd been out of the service for quite a while, his stance read military through and through. But he had changed in some way and it took Kate a few moments to place it. Though they'd picked up where they'd left after they'd been separated, he kind of seemed to have lost some of his playful manner. Something else than the incident with his team must have happened that had caused this change. And Kate dared to know what it was.

"Yes, Sir… Will do that… Goodnight."

Kate raised her eyebrow.

"Barney. He wants me to pick you up tomorrow. We're heading to our safe house to prepare for the mission."

"What you are not only working together but actually living under the same roof?" Kate gaped.

"Just for the missions. Makes things easier." Billy explained. "I guess we will drag you along for some time. Ready to go up against seven mercenaries?" he teased.

"You have no idea what I am capable of, Billy Timmons." Kate laughed, but turned serious immediately.

"So that settles it then, does it? Me working with you guys?"

"Us working as a team." Billy corrected her. The young woman smiled at his kind words.

"That's really nice of you, but I think it's a long way until then."

"Relax, Kate." And if he'd read her thoughts he added: "Barney will treat you nicely. I'll make sure of it."

* * *

**AN: In the next chapter the action with the other Expendables will start. So stay with me. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, after a couple of hours of restless sleep, Kate got up and gathered her things. She was done packing relatively quick. Clothes, mostly functional for training and combat, a few pieces she thought might be useful when getting under, her rifle and guns, a bulletproof vest she could wear hidden even under strait clothing and some additional gear she was not sure whether she would need it, but better to be safe than sorry she liked to say. All in all she hadn't more than two duffle bags to take to the Expendables headquarters. Being deployed frequently had her made quite modest.

When she headed downstairs to the entrance to wait for some of the Expendables to pick her up, she wasn't surprised to see Billy waiting in a blue pick-up truck. Gathering her things she reciprocated his welcoming smile when he got out of it to help her with her bags.

"'Morning." he greeted her with a smile.

"Hey you." She glanced at her watch. "Very punctual, but I thought you Army guys would always arrive five minutes ahead of time." she teased him, shoving her luggage on the back seat.

"And I thought girls would have more stuff than just two bags when they go on a trip with an unknown destiny." he teased back opening the passenger door for her. It was a small gesture but Kate couldn't help but think that nobody had ever showed her that kind of politeness.

"Yeah, but I figured since its November and we are going to Serbia I wouldn't need my beachwear or sandals." she grinned and fastened her seatbelt.

"Touché, Evans." he smirked back and brought the engine to life.

During their three hour trip north, they mainly talked about the Expendables. For their mission preparations Barney had chosen to settle in his safe house near the Bienville National Forest and while they were driving there Billy told her what she had to know about the guys and their specialties. Hearing about their skills Kate slowly began to doubt that she was able to keep up with them, but there was no turning back now. So she listened to Billy's explanations, occasionally asking questions, but her mind was clouded with doubts.

"Well, that only leaves Barney. As you know, he's the team leader. He's …"

Glancing towards his passenger Billy stopped in mid-sentence catching the look on Kate's face. She was gazing out of the window, not noticing that he was observing her askance. Billy sighed silently. He knew that look well; he'd seen it a few times back in Afghanistan. She was having second thoughts.

"Hey."

The sudden change in his tone roused Kate from her daydreams. She turned her head.

"There is nothing you have to be afraid of."

"Yeah, I know." she replied half-heartedly and Billy knew that it wouldn't help to tell her that she'd proven herself countless times already. They had reached the farmhouse Barney and his group of mercenaries were using as a temporary headquarters. The sniper brought the car to a halt. Kate was about to open the door, when he reached for her arm to stop her. She turned to face him.

"If there's anything you need. I'll be there. You know that, Kate." he said calmly, locking eyes with her. The honesty in his words and the decisiveness of in his blue eyes made her temporarily speechless. His last words weren't a question, they were a statement. And she knew Billy Timmons well enough to know that he always meant what he said. And she would not make the same mistake she'd made a year ago and treat their friendship with contempt.

"Thank you." she whispered giving him a small smile.

They collected her bags from the car and headed for the entrance. It was an old farmhouse, probably built a century ago. But its best days were long gone. Behind the house Kate could make out some old barns. Something was peeking out of one of the barns that looked like the tail of a plane.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kate asked disbelievingly. They were surrounded by woods. Why on earth would somebody have a plane out here?

But Billy, who'd followed her gaze just said: "Oh yeah. We don't do commercial travelling."

To him it seemed to be the most common thing in the world and Kate began to wonder what kind of missions these guys were doing. So far she'd learned little about the Expendables' past ops and she made a mental note to find out more on them.

They'd reached the entrance and Billy guided her inside. They found the other Expendables sitting in the kitchen. Barney and Lee were hunched over some maps and files, probably putting together a plan for their operation. Gunnar and Toll were on the rear end of the room checking their weapons while Hale was preparing some food.

"Guys." Billy spoke up, getting everybody's attention. "You already know Kate. She's here to support us on our next mission."

"Welcome to the team." Hale said kindly as he nodded in her direction. Kate gave him a thankful smile and looked to the others. Gunnar, Toll and Yin were nodding their welcome as well, but Kate's eyes were glued to Barney and Lee.

"We'll see that." Barney simply stated, but Lee who was standing next to him gave her a smile and rolled his eyes about his leader's hostility. She couldn't help but reciprocate his gesture.

"Told you they won't bite." Billy murmured bending down to her. She shot him a skeptical look. "You'll be fine." he assured her and reached for her bag. "Come on I'll show you your room."

She followed him through the kitchen down the hall and up the stairs. To both sides there were doors. Kate assumed that this was where the other Expendables had their rooms. And she proved to be right. While Billy led the way he told her which room belonged to whom. They rounded a corner and came to a halt in front of the last room on the left side.

"This is it." he said as he opened the door for her.

It was a small room, sparsely furnished, but all she needed was a bed as a place to store her clothes. This wouldn't be for long, hopefully.

"The bathroom is adjacent; through that door." he pointed to the rear end of the room. "Thanks." Kate said and let her bag drop on the bed.

"Do you need anything else?" Billy asked, standing a little awkward in the doorway.

She smiled but shook her head no.

"I'm fine. I'll unpack and meet you downstairs?" she suggested which earned her a nod. Billy put down her bag and closed the door behind him.

Kate turned around and started unpacking. It didn't take her long, but she was glad to have a few minutes to herself to sort out the new situation. She was now an assigned part of a mercenary group. Was she really ready for this?

She plunked down to the chair next to the bed and took in her surroundings. The room was small but clean, the window pointed out to the grounds behind the farm, providing her a good overview on the grassy space unfolding all the way to the forest's edge ahead of them. It wasn't a too bad place after all. Having the woods near always reminded her of home and it calmed her instantly.

She silently smiled as she realized that it was surely not a coincidence that Billy's room was just opposite of hers. Thinking about the sniper, she found herself be less afraid about the upcoming task. She fondly recalled his words from the car. And she vowed to herself that she would take his offer and not to leave him in the dark about what was bothering her as she once had.

Getting up, she started unpacking and after having placed the last items into the drawer of her dresser, she headed downstairs where the others had gathered in the kitchen.

* * *

Reaching the kitchen door, Kate didn't enter the room immediately, but paused in the doorway and took in the sight in front of her.

The seven Expendables sat around the big wooden kitchen table, talking and laughing. Even though she had to prick up her ears to hear what they were talking about, she clearly sensed the strong bound of friendship and trust between them. She took in a deep breath. It would be quite a task to become a part of this team, even only for a short time.

"So, what do we know about this girl?" Gunnar now asked as he reached for a bottle of beer standing in the middle of the wooden table.

"Well, not much aside from what her official military record. Spent seven years in the service, interpreter at the rank of an USAF Tech. Sergeant, discharged but the record doesn't say why. Billy, do you know about that?" Barney finished his short speech.

_Of course, but I ain't going to tell you_, Billy thought. Recalling last night's talk with her, he knew that she was still upset about it and even though he liked Barney, he knew that he would probably use this against her, just because he didn't want her on the mission.

"Not much." he muttered, taking a sip from his beer.

"Care to tell us what you know?" Barney pressed on impatiently.

"Why don't you ask me in person?"

The Expendables' leader turned around to see Kate standing behind him, arms crossed in front of her chest. She held his gaze for a few moments.

"You've been discharged…"

"Why I've _quit the service_…" she emphasized the last words "… is entirely my business and has nothing to do with my task here."

She sat down on the only free chair next to Billy, leaning back, still not breaking eye contact with Barney.

"So what's the plan, Mr. Ross?"

Everybody watched the pair of them and Billy could not help but notice the decisive look in her eyes. She was a tough girl; she had been ever since they'd met overseas, but not because she was a tomboy. Being around a bunch of men all the time, she had to constantly prove herself and her skills and old habits tended to die hard. She wasn't going to take the crap from anybody, least from Barney Ross.

"We start tomorrow at 0800. I will start gathering Intel on this Silva- character. Billy and Toll, maps and locations. Gunnar and Hale will restock our gear. Christmas, assessment of her combat skills." Barney finished his brief instructions with a look to each of his men. They nodded.

Everybody seemed to be OK with their task, but Kate groaned inwardly. From Billy's explanations during their ride here, she remembered Lee to be the close quarter combat specialist. She mentally readied herself of a lot of bruises, not only on her body but on her ego as well. She was roused from her dark thoughts when the sniper offered her a beer.

"So tell me what I have to expect tomorrow? A bunch of men laughing at me, while I am trying to keep up with them?" she asked trying to sound indifferent but Billy could make out a hint of worry in her voice. He shook his head no.

"I know Lee. He will go easy on you. Not in the way you think." he added as he caught her look. She didn't want to be babied. "He's a fair man."

Kate glanced to Lee who was talking to Hale.

"Hey Kate, you will do fine. I know it."

Kate remained silent and took a sip of her beer. She was not sure whether she'd made the right call, but she was determined to take the challenge and prove herself.

The phone rang and Barney rose to answer the call. He came back after a few minutes.

"I am heading out to meet a contact. Maybe he's able to get us more Intel on Silva." he explained putting on his jacket and grabbing his keys.

Kate watched him exit the room and could not help but exhale heavily. She was used to stress but she could not stand the tension that was rising every time she and Barney had to be in the same room. It was toxic.

"So Kate, other than you served with Billy we don't know anything. Tell us a little about you." Lee asked, his British accent adding even more politeness to his words.

The young woman turned to him, astonished that one of the group aside from Billy actually cared about her. It was as if the air in the room changed as soon as he was gone. Now, the others stopped whatever conversation they'd been into and turned to hear her story. And Kate could feel that even though they respected their team leader, unlike him they'd decided to make to best of their situation and allow her to work alongside their group.

"Technically, I didn't serve with Billy…" she started with a small smile and patiently answered most of the questions the six men asked her over the next few hours. At some point, they were satisfied and Kate had the chance to ask them a little about their lives and the group. It turned out that hidden under the cover of though mercenaries, there were some truly funny personalities and soon Kate began to understand why they had such a close company. The night progressed and the young woman enjoyed the ease that had settled between six of the Expendables and her.

She could still feel that she was not a part of this team, but these men accepted her presence. And they would work with her and stand up for her the moment she needed them to.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: The last chapter was more or less a filler to get here, but now you get a glimpse of Kate's training. Enjoy!**

* * *

Over the next weeks Kate was so wrapped up in work, she had no time to second guess her decision to join the Expendables.

Her days were packed with either the strategic planning of the mission or training with one of the guys. While Lee and Barney worked on gathering Intel about Rafael Silva and his group, Hale, Yin and the others would take turns training her in more practical things like close quarter combat. Almost every evening after long hours of work Kate would sit at the kitchen table with Lee or Toll, who'd volunteered taking turns in testing her knowledge about Silva and his associates. Toll spoke a little Russian so they switched into Russian or Serbian ever so often. It was good for Kate to practice her Serbian and she got more confident in her language skills with every passing day.

While working with each of the Expendables, Kate had barely spoken to Barney since she'd arrived at the farmhouse. Their relationship was still frosty but she was too wrapped up in work to complain about it. The others were treating her not as equal but with respect and she knew that she had to earn their trust. She wasn't expecting to be integrated into the group immediately, but they got along well.

From time to time Billy showed up, joining their gatherings. He would just listen in on the chatter of the three occasionally asking question which might be important for his work too. When they succeeded to set up a first meeting, a second one to transfer the software would most likely follow and it was never a bad idea to have a sniper up and ready.

Time passed rapidly and still they had no word from Church who would set up a meeting through one of his contacts. It was one evening, when Kate had enough from the constant training and learning.

"Jesus, I need a break." she groaned, still speaking Russian.

The three heads of Toll, Lee and Billy whirled in her direction. They hadn't understood what she'd said, but the sudden change in her voice had set them on edge.

"Sorry." she mumbled with a sheepish smile. "I'm just tired of this whole prep-thing. I need to do something else, anything, but learning and getting my ass kicked by one of you guys."

She ran her fingers through her hair and barely suppressed a yawn. Looking into the eyes of each one she could see the sympathy. They'd been working together for a long time and she had to pick up everything in double speed.

"How about I take you out on some sniper lessons?" Billy suddenly suggested. "I know it's still some kind of training but at least you would not have to stay here the whole day."

Once or twice she and Billy had headed to the nearby town to escape the farmhouse and the constant chatter about guns and missions. The first time she and Billy had announced that they would go out, the others had started to make fun of them, but an evil eye from Billy had shut them up immediately. From now on nobody would question when they decided to spent their time together since they knew that the sniper and Kate went way back before they had joined the Expendables. It had taken them no time at all to find back to their routine they'd become so accustomed to back in Afghanistan. Whenever they could they would sit at the kitchen table or go outside for a walk; sometimes talking and laughing, sometimes just enjoying each other's presence in silence.

Kate was glad and thankful that Billy had offered her the same kind of friendship he once had when they'd first met overseas and she took it gratefully. But neither of them had spoken about what had happened after they had left the small chapel. It was some sort of unspoken agreement and even though Kate could tell that Billy hadn't forgotten about it, she decided not to touch this subject.

It wasn't the best moment for such a topic anyway. They were preparing for a dangerous mission and the young woman doubted that everything would go according to plan. So she decided to enjoy her friend's company as long as she could.

Now, she was glad for Billy's offer.

"I'd love to go." Kate replied with a genuine smile. She really needed some change of scenery.

"Alright then, Love. You get your day off, but if you don't come back being as good as Billy in sharpshooting this means extra practice for you." Lee teased and rose. Kate just rolled her eyes but couldn't help but laugh. She would finally get out of this god forsaken farmhouse and be able to spend some time with Billy.

"'Night, boys… and girl." he winked in her direction.

"Seriously?" she muttered but that just earned her a grin from Billy and Toll. Thinking about her training session with the Expendables' sniper, she silently smiled. She bid the group goodnight as well and headed to her room to get some rest. Tomorrow would be an exciting day.

* * *

The next morning, Kate got up and prepared herself for the sniper lesson with Billy. Over the past days she'd become accustomed to the training sessions and the bruises from yesterday's close quarter combat lesson with Lee were fading. While she got dressed and braided back her hair she felt a little nervous about the forthcoming exercise. Over the past weeks, she and Billy had spent a lot of time, usually accompanied by someone of the group. But whenever the sniper had joined her training, the appreciative look on his face hadn't gone unnoticed by her.

_Jesus, he's probably just glad that I am OK_, she scolded herself impatiently. She could not afford to let some emotions cloud her judgment while preparing for such a dangerous mission. She finished her braid and went downstairs to get some breakfast.

Billy was already sitting at the table with a cup of coffee next to him cleaning the sniper rifle.

"I'll probably never get used to the whole guns-on-the-table thing." she greeted him with a laugh while getting a cup of coffee from the machine on the counter.

"Well, good morning to you too." Billy smirked looking up from his work. "Up for some shooting lessons?"

"Of course." she replied with a teasing grin. "Let's see if I can keep up with the Expendables' sniper."

"Yeah, sure. Keep on dreaming, Sweetheart." he picked up her queue and went back to work. While he was putting the rifle back together, Kate sat down next to him telling him about yesterday's lesson with Lee. Hearing her teasingly complain about the fact that that the guys were going easy on her, he considered himself lucky to have her around every day again. And he was glad that she finally seemed to enjoy her task.

But ever since he'd seen her in Lacy's bar, he caught himself watching her a little too often for just a team mate, seeking her company. The close proximity they were working in had leaded to something once. He knew that he had to sort out his feelings before they would go to Serbia, but he wasn't quite sure himself whether this would end in a good or in a bad way.

They finished their breakfast and headed for the woods. On short and medium distance, Kate was quite a good shooter; she'd proven it countless times in the past time. But when it came to long distance shots, it lacked her practice.

They walked the two miles to the spot Billy had chosen for their training in a comfortable silence, Billy carrying the rifle and Kate the backpack with their additional gear. Over the night it had begun to snow and a thin layer of white covered the grounds, muffling their footsteps. On the way, Kate could make out various animal tracks.

"See something?" Billy asked following her gaze.

"Some deer tracks. God, it must have been ages since the last time I went hunting." she sighed, her breath forming small clouds.

"You know how to hunt?"

She replied with a look that was answer enough.

"Of course you do." he chuckled. Being a soldier, knowing how to shoot a gun or hunting weren't considered very feminine but when it came to Kate, Billy thought that it made her even more attractive. Her soft voice roused him from his thoughts.

"My grandfather took me with him whenever I could manage to visit. I really love being outside. It's just you and the woods." she smiled fondly remembering the countless hours she's spent with her granddad who'd taught her everything she knew about hunting.

"Why? Don't you?" she asked.

"Dear, I hunt people for living." he deadpanned.

"Billy Timmons, the Expendables' very own sniper, has never been hunting?" Kate asked disbelievingly. Billy shook his head.

"Before we go to Serbia, you are going to bring down your first game." Kate stated with a confident smile.

"Not before I've taught you to hit a target that's more than a mile away."

"Deal." Kate stretched out her hand, glad to be able to repay the patience and friendship Billy had offered her so naturally.

"Deal." he smirked shaking it.

They walked in silence for a while until Billy pointed to a small group of rocks a couple of feet away. "We're almost there."

"And we're not alone." Kate stated matter-of-factly. "Someone's watching us from the ridgeline behind us."

Billy turned towards her, an astonished look on his face.

"How do you…"

"Saw the reflection of their binoculars on the trees in front of us. Friend or foe?" she asked having the area already scanned for cover.

"Friends. Probably Barney and Lee checking on how you are doing."

"Oh yeah, then you tell them to cover their lenses the next time. If I were the enemy I could have killed them right away."

"Roger that." Billy just smirked. Since he was used to be very aware of his surroundings whenever he headed out to be the team's backup, he'd spotted his two team mates a while ago, but he was glad that Kate was paying attention to her environment as well.

"We're here." he stated and put down the rifle.

Kate put down the backpack and took in her surroundings. They were on a ridgeline, slightly under the one their team mates were standing on. Their spot provided a good overview over the woods below them. Trees alternated with small group of rocks or small clearings. It was a rough nature out here, but Kate liked it.

"Alright, let's get started." Billy said and knelt down to open the backpack. He pulled out a map of the area, his binoculars and waited for her to prepare the rifle. She sat up the bipod and adjusted the buttstock for herself. After chambering a round she lay down and started peering through the scope.

"Keep looking for a small clearing to your eleven. There is a small group of rocks. On it you will find some old cans." Billy told her, lying down next to her, pulling the binoculars to his eyes.

"Got it." Kate said after a few seconds.

"OK, walk me through it." Billy said.

Kate took a few deep breaths and focused on the target. She had memorized the map earlier and began to recall the details placing the makings on the real landscape.

"Contact. Sector bravo, low."

"Distance?"

"Am I the spotter?" Kate asked without moving. Usually, the spotter would tell the marksman those parameters for the shot.

"No, but you're the one to learn." Billy replied with no emotion. "Distance?"

Kate pulled over the map Billy had in front of him. She quickly scanned the image; then responded: "1.88 klicks. Static."

"Wind?"

"2.70. East."

"Make it 2.77." Billy added in a calm voice. He was just as focused as her. Kate adjusted the rifle to his recommendation and evened out her breathing for the shot.

"Copy. Got it."

"Fire."

Kate was about to pull the trigger, when a sudden movement made her stop.

"Negative. I got movement on the clearing." she whispered, so caught up in her task that she forgot that it was an exercise. Billy followed her gaze.

"Maybe we should switch positions and you get to bring down your first game." Kate murmured with a smile as she saw a beautiful stag approaching the cans.

"No. I would miss my hunting lesson with my kick-ass teacher. And besides, the bullet would tear it apart."

Kate silently smirked hearing his words. She nodded and waited for the stag to disappear into the woods. They observed the animal for a while, but it wouldn't go away.

Half an hour passed and at some point, Billy had expected Kate to start complaining about the cold, but she didn't move or say a thing. She was too absorbed in her task. Observing her out of the corner of his eye, he silently smiled. She was more like in hunting mode than in what he called sniper mode. She watched the stag, a small smile emerging on her lips when it nosed the cans. Finally, it decided to return into the woods. They waited for a few minutes to make sure that the animal was safe; then they repeated their procedure.

"Take the shot when you are ready." Billy said calmly.

"Copy." Kate murmured, but couldn't keep her teeth from shattering. Her trigger finger had turned almost white and she wasn't sure whether she could control her shivering. She took in a few deep breaths to steady herself.

"Ready."

"Fire."

Kate pulled the trigger. The shot rang through the cold winter air and she could smell the burned gunpowder. A little cloud of smoke emerged from the muzzle. Moments later, she saw the old trash can being kicked of the rock by the bullet. She'd hit the target.

"Gotcha!" Kate chuckled, the cold forgotten and the adrenaline spreading through her veins like warm water. She glanced to Billy about to tease him about his doubts in her shooting abilities, but the look in his eyes made her loose her tongue. Admiration, pride and something she couldn't quite name.

"Well done." Billy nodded appreciatively and rose. He wasn't sure whether she'd seen it in his eyes, but he wasn't prepared to give away his feelings yet. Seeing her totally absorbed in her task she seemed to be at complete ease with herself for the first time since she'd joined the team. He could tell that she had finally accepted her new lifestyle; _with our without your uniform on_, as he'd once told her and that she loved what she was doing.

Waiting patiently for the area to clear, he was more than pleased that she had the patience it took to be a sniper. Maybe she would be his backing someday and he somehow knew that he could rely on her one hundred percent.

"Are we done already?" Kate asked disbelievingly, but he just shrugged.

"I figured we go for the most difficult shot first and I was sure you wouldn't hit it so we would practice on some other targets."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Great, all this walking and freezing for one shot?"

"Easy, Evans." Billy laughed. "I'm just kidding; there are some more targets to practice on. Come on, let's get out of here. I am sure you won't hit any more without Barney and Lee checking on you." he teased her.

"You should know better than to doubt my skills, Billy Timmons. The day will come that I might have to save your cute butt and it would be a shame if I couldn't just because you haven't taught me well." she winked and started to break down the equipment. Her motions were smooth and fast and Billy couldn't help thinking that it was incredibly sexy to watch a woman and especially Kate to man a weapon like this with such ease.

After finishing up, she got up and brushed the snow of her clothes.

"Should we?" Billy asked and Kate nodded. But before following Billy down the small trail to their next training site, she turned around and gave a casual salute in the direction of Lee and Barney. Out of the corner of his eyes Billy saw her gesture and just laughed. He had always admired her smart mouth that had brought her into trouble frequently and that gesture just meant more when they would get back to the farmhouse.

* * *

The two spent the next few hours outside, practicing on either static or moving targets, Billy had set up for him to train on. As he'd predicted she didn't go for the kill shot at every target, but she was close all the times. They had brought some assault rifles as well and practiced some strategic movements as well for not getting too cold in the winter air. The constant lying on the ground had Kate freezing with shattering teeth soon so they decided to switch on some more active exercises.

While Kate practiced with Billy, her doubts about the mission and the team became small and irrelevant. She just enjoyed being in the nature, being with a friend, sharpening her skills.

Dusk was approaching fast and when they returned to the farmhouse it was almost dark. When they entered the kitchen, they heart Lee and Barney arguing, their backs towards them.

"I told you she saw you coming the minute you pulled out those damn binoculars!" Lee scoffed. Then he spotted Kate and smiled.

"Nice shot, Love." he winked in her direction.

Kate smiled back thankfully; then her gaze wandered to Barney who'd turned around. She really appreciated Lee's compliment but what she needed was the approval of his boss. Barney's expression didn't give him away, but his words are the nicest she would probably get from him.

"Not bad, Evans. That was one hell of a shot- for a rookie." Then his face softened a bit, giving her just the tiniest of a smile.

"Thank you." Kate breathed, not aware that she'd been holding her breath ever since they'd entered the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next days the team continued to prepare their mission. Finally, one of Church's contacts had set up a meeting with Silva by the end of the following week and they needed to work on the details of Kate's cover pretty quickly.

While the young woman did her best to get mission-ready, Barney observed each and every of her actions intently. Though he would never tell her, he was quite content with her progress. He'd spoken to Lee and his right-hand man had told her a little more about the pretty blonde that carried most of the weight of their forthcoming op. Hearing the earnest words of his friend and partner he slowly gained confidence in her skills, but he could not shut out the memories of the last time they'd allowed a woman to participate in one of their missions.

Even though most of the details were set, a few things caused him quite a headache. While sorting out possible scenarios, escape routes and lots of other details, it became more evident that it would be too dangerous for Kate to go into a meeting with Silva on her own.

One evening, the Expendable's leader and Lee were discussing that very matter.

"I knew it was a bad idea to bring her in." Barney snorted, throwing his pen on the pile of papers displayed all over the table in front of them. "Each of us could go without that kind of babysitter."

Lee just rolled his eyes. "We've discussed it a thousand times now. Why don't you let it go and accept it? Church assigned her on this mission and we have no other option but to take her with us. So why don't we start working on the problem instead of complaining about it all the time?"

He locked eyes with his friend who finally nodded.

"What about Billy? He and Kate make a good team. Send him in with her." Lee suggested.

"It's too dangerous." Barney simply stated and Lee knew his friend well enough to not discuss this matter any further. Ever since Billy's injury the Expendables' leader had an extra eye on the youngest member of their group and Lee could not blame him for that.

"I bet he will ask you to take him if he hears about your plans to send somebody with her." Lee remarked, taking a sip from his beer.

"I know." Barney sighed and took a few moments to think it all over.

"She'll take Toll with her. He makes the most dangerous appearance and he speaks a little Russian. If Billy really doesn't take no for an answer…"

"…which he won't…" Lee inserted.

"…he can go disguised as a guest. They'll meet at a club so it won't be a problem." Barney finished his sentence. It was the best solution he could think of in such a short time.

"Then we'll have to brief the others." Lee said and rose from his chair. "I'll get them."

* * *

Half an hour later, everybody knew the plan how to get back the software from Silva. While Barney and Lee took turns explaining the details of their mission, Kate occasionally added some details, otherwise she remained silent, observing the others. Most of the things had been discussed before, but it was always wise to talk everybody through the whole plan. By that each member of the group knew their part and the tasks of the others and misunderstandings would be prevented.

"This leads us to the meeting with Rafael Silva." Lee now came to the most important part of their op. "Kate will take Toll with her as a bodyguard. We figured it would be safer for her not to go in on it alone."

He looked to Kate, who nodded slightly astonished. She'd been absolutely sure to go in alone, but now she was quite confused. On the one hand she was glad to have somebody with her; on the other hand she was somehow disappointed that it wasn't Billy who would have her back when meeting with Silva. She exchanged a quick look with the Expendables' sniper who reciprocated it. His jaw was slightly clenched and she could tell that he didn't like it either.

"Just one?" Billy said keeping his voice businesslike and calm, but to Kate it was obvious that it cost him a lot of effort.

"You'll go in with them; disguised as a guest. Just in case something goes wrong." Lee added with an imperceptible smile. Billy nodded and relaxed a little.

Barney continued their briefing with some minor points. They were done within a few minutes, but Kate didn't pay much attention anymore. She could recite the details by heart. The only thing that consumed her mind was Billy's reaction.

He'd clearly been not OK with Barney sending Toll Road with her. She'd seen it only for a second before he'd masked his emotions with usual expression. It had somewhat roused something in her, she'd not felt in a long time. She couldn't quite name it, but it left her a little confused.

"I think, that's it. Any questions?"

The slight nudge from Hale in her ribs brought her back to reality. She quickly shook her head no, shutting out the conflicting emotions. Lee announced that they would head out a nearby bar for dinner. Kate silently sighed. She had to deal with that issue later.

* * *

Later that night, she was lying in her bed but sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was too absorbed to process the look Billy had shot her. She recalled the scene and tried to make sense of it. What was it that she'd seen in his eyes?

She was supposed to know him better than anybody of the group. Over the past weeks they had spent so much time together. Whether it was training or during their free time, they were rarely separated. They would drive to the nearby town to get away from the others, to talk about anything but weapons or combat gear. Billy had once confessed to her that everybody in the group had someone he was close to. Barney had Lee, Gunnar couldn't go without picking on Yin, Toll and Hale always talked about creating new bad shit crazy weapons. But he was kind of a loner and she could relate to that. Being the only female in a group almost every time certainly didn't make things easier. He'd told her that concerning him it came with the job of being a sniper, but she wasn't somewhat satisfied by this conclusion. She groaned and turned for the hundredth time. Glancing outside the window she saw the stars sparkle in the black sky. The last time she really paid attention to the stars had been in Afghanistan with Billy sitting next to her at their secret hideout. Billy… Afghanistan… Then it hit her.

With him she'd finally found someone in the group she could talk to, no matter what. Like Barney and Lee or Hale and Toll. And Billy obviously was thinking the same. This was why he'd acted that protective.

_Protective_, she recalled the word, finally piecing the whole thing together. He didn't want her to get hurt. He personally wanted to oversee that she was doing OK like he had from the very beginning. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep, a smile on her lips as she thought about it.

* * *

When she headed downstairs the next morning, Kate found the Expendables already busy. But it was not the usual chatter about weapons. She'd sensed it the second she'd set foot into the kitchen. It was tense and somewhat dangerous. Taking a closer look she now realized what had set her up. Everybody was dressed in black combat attire. Ammo clips and other gear were packed, weapons checked.

"What's going on?" Kate asked taken aback about the bustle in front of her.

"We need to take care of something." Lee explained loading his gun. "It won't take long. We'll be back by tonight."

"And what about me?" she blurted out a little offended that no one had cared to wake let alone inform her.

"What about you?" Barney turned around scrutinizing her from head to toe. Kate crossed her arms in front of her chest, holding his gaze defiantly.

"Yes, Mr. Ross. As you obviously have forgotten I am a part of this team now." she seethed, absentmindedly noticing that the others had stopped whatever they were doing. Everybody was watching them.

"You're an _asset_, Ms. Evans." Barney hissed and it took Kate all her self-control not to wince at the word. "And that is why you will stay put. We need you alive and mission-ready not dead in a body bag."

"But…" Kate was about to insist, when Lee gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Let it go." he said calmly. "It will be a quick snatch and extract. We don't even go in full force. Yin is out of town on some family business. We can patch you in to our radio frequency. You'll know what's going on when we're out."

It took Kate a few moments to cool down her anger. Finally she nodded to Lee.

"Thanks." she murmured and headed for the coffee machine. She wasn't even thirsty; she just needed to do anything that prevented her from going after Barney. How could he dare to treat her like this?

She purred some of the steaming liquid into a mug and stood by the counter, watching the others getting reading. Lee, who had left the room shortly after her little exchange with Barney, came back with a radio. He put down next to her.

"Frequency is set. You'll be able to hear every one of us. Don't worry, we'll be fine." he gave her one last smile then turned around taking his gun from the table. "OK, wheel's up in five. Get ready!"

Kate watched the guys finishing up their preparations. Her gaze automatically wandered to Billy, who was putting his gun into the holster attached to his right thigh. She'd seen him countless time in his sniper gear, but this was different. He looked more like he had when they'd met in Afghanistan. He was dressed in black combat gear as the rest of his team, but his hair was tousled as it had been when they'd first met and a scarf was wrapped around his neck. Multiple grenades and ammo clips were attached to his vest. He seemed to have grown a little more dangerous and a little less friendly but she couldn't help herself thinking that he looked extremely handsome like that.

She watched him finishing up his preparations. He was just about to head outside as well, when last night's thoughts came back to her mind. Out of the spur of the moment, she caught up with him when he was almost at the door. She reached out to get hold of his arm and stopped him. He turned to her, an astonished look in his eyes.

"Be safe." she said holding his gaze, her heart suddenly pounding fast.

"Always." he smiled at her and then he was gone.

* * *

The hours passed and with every minute ticking by, Kate got more restless. At some point Lee radioed to tell her that they'd reached their destination. She put the radio on the kitchen table and listened intently to the voices coming through the speaker.

She could hear Barney giving the signal to move in. First, there wasn't much noise. A whispered order, a door being opened carefully, then all of a sudden the shooting started. Over the fighting noise she could make out Lee and Barney yelling instructions.

A few moments later: _"We have a runner!" _Hale's voice.

_ "I'll take the rear!"_ she could hear Billy shout back as the constant gunfire cracked and echoed through the speaker.

_"We have the package. Move out!"_ Barney yelled.

Footsteps echoed down the hall then they faded slightly. They must have reached the outside of whatever building they had been into. A car door was opened and the engine roared to life.

_"Billy, come on!"_ she heard Lee shout. Then her blood froze. _"Shit! He's been hit! Get him inside! … Billy! … Fuck!" _

The line went dead.

Kate stared at the radio in disbelief. What had just happened? Was Billy alright? Was he alive? She tried every frequency she could think of but she could not reestablish contact with the team. Restless she got up and paced through the room. She ran upstairs to get her cell and tried to call every team member of the team. On the third try at Lee's number, he picked up.

_"Kate, we are OK."_ he said calmly.

"Billy…" she just breathed.

_"He's fine, don't worry."_ he assured her, but she didn't quite believe his words_. "We'll be back in an hour."_

And with that he hung up. Kate stared at the display of her phone and trying to be calm. He was alive. And that was all that mattered.

* * *

The hour to their return seemed to be endless. When Kate heard the two SUVs approach, she hurried to the front door and yanked it open. The five men were dismounting, all looking slightly shaken, but unharmed. Her eyes searched for Billy. Then she spotted him. He was climbing out of the second truck. Walking, breathing, _alive_.

She made her way to the group not really taking notice of any of them. When she reached Billy, she stopped in front of him and they shared a long look. She didn't need to tell him that she had been to hell and back, he saw it the moment she'd appeared in the doorway. She leaned in to embrace him, holding to him tightly.

"I told you to be careful." she whispered.

"Sorry." he replied with a faint grin.

He didn't want her to worry any more, but she saw right through his lie. Kate gave him scrutinizing look. He was pale and favoring his right side. She gently took his arm to examine it. The material of his shirt had been torn apart on the upper part and was glistening with dark liquid.

"You've been shot." she said with a start.

"It's nothing."

"My bathroom, now. This needs to be treated." she stated firmly leaving no room for arguments.

"I agree." Lee said and took the rifle from Billy's hands. "Take care of him." he addressed to Kate and followed the others to the heading to the farmhouse. Wordless, the pair went inside as well.

Leaving his gear in the kitchen Billy followed Kate to her room. Once inside she stripped of her jacket and rummaged through the top drawer of her dresser. After a few moments she pulled out her first-aid box. She turned around and indicated Billy to follow her to the bathroom.

"Sit." she ordered, putting down the kit on the side of the sink. He half-complied by leaning against the sink so that they were approximately at the same height. She shot him a stern look, but didn't argue with him and focused on her task instead.

"I need to cut your shirt."

"Alright." he said and shifted to allow her better access to his arm. She took the scissors and went straight to work. Careful not to touch his injury she cut the sleeve right under the shoulder and lengthways then removed the tissue as gently as possible. Now she could see the injury properly. She let out a relieved breath.

"It's not that deep. But you are going to need some stitches." she said and began to douse the wound in alcohol.

"Kate…" he all but whined at her.

"Don't Kate me, Billy." she said sternly. "There are two ways to do this. One is either to go to the ER and I bet they'll ask a lot of questions where you did get this gunshot wound or you have me patch you up. Your choice…"

It took him a lot to keep a straight face. To him, she was just gorgeous when she was angry. But he decided not to press his luck.

"Pass, but make it quick." he replied and settled more comfortably on the edge of the sink. By the expression on her face he could tell that she was still worried about him, so he decided to distract her a little.

"Did you know that back in Afghanistan we would get ourselves banged up, so we had an excuse to go see the nurses?"

"Seriously?" she snorted. "What is it with men and nurses?"

"Maybe we like how they take care of us." he stated with a grin.

Kate mumbled something decidedly x-rated under her breath, but returned to her task. After sedating his arm, she prepared the supplies to close the gash. She had to get closer to him to set the stitches. Their legs were brushing and she could feel the heat radiating from him. It was an awkwardly intimate position.

She was completely absorbed in her task working thoroughly but quick. She had closed the wound in no time at all and bandaged his arm when she realized that he'd gone completely stock-still. His breath was tickling the skin on her exposed shoulder. She halted her movement and looked up to him.

His eyes had turned into a dark shade of blue and were practically piercing through hers. He held her gaze for a second then he reached for her waist and pulled her close, resting his chin on her shoulder. She reciprocated his embrace without hesitation.

Burying his nose in the crook of her neck he drank her in: this beautiful talented caring and sometimes pretty lethal woman patching him up. He couldn't ask for more.

When he'd headed out earlier he'd seen the fear in her eyes. Fear for him. And when the bullet had hit him, all he could think about was her. That she would kill him for being so reckless. But most of all that it would most probably kill her if it had ended worse. And by that realization he knew that he would feel the same about her. He had to keep her safe because he needed her.

Inhaling her irresistibly scent, holding her ever so tightly, he savored the moment. He could barely quash the impulse to kiss her and only when her breath hitched as his lips brushed the skin on her neck, he pulled away with a start.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, still too caught up in his thoughts.

"Don't be." Kate said gently, but he could see the confusion in her eyes. "I'm glad that you are OK."

He gave her a smile then glanced at his arm.

"Looks pretty good. Thanks for patching me up." he said stretching and bending his arm carefully.

"That's what friends are for." she simply replied and with that and one last smile she left the small room.

* * *

Closing the door behind her, Kate leaned against the cold wall, taking in a deep breath. What had just happened? She couldn't tell, but something had definitely changed between them. The look in his eyes- she'd never seen anything like this before. And when he'd pulled her into his arms it had felt so natural; and nice.

But she had no time to think the whole situation over. There were more pressing matters now. She wanted to hear firsthand what had happened during that mission. So she headed downstairs to the kitchen to see if anybody was there. But the room was empty except for Barney who was sitting at a table.

He raised his head as he heard her steps.

"How bad is it?" he asked and Kate couldn't help but notice that she'd never seen him that tired.

"He'll be fine. Just a couple of stitches." she replied.

Barney nodded.

Watching the Expendables' leader just go back to read in his magazine, she couldn't control her anger anymore. She sat down opposite of him.

"What the hell happened?" she asked her voice dangerously low. "This was supposed to be simple snatch and extract. And you get him hurt again?"

Barney's head shot up, staring at her. It was obvious that she knew about Albania and he had a fairly good guess who'd told her.

"Don't you question my orders, Ms. Evans." he hissed.

"I question them as long as you don't get everybody home safely." Kate shot back fiercely.

She examined Barney's expression carefully. Though he tried his hardest to look indifferent, his eyes gave him away. He was as shaken about the latest events as she was.

"He hadn't told me the whole story, but from what I see here, it had been a close call. I just would like to know why you didn't take precautions."

Barney was about to reply when the door opened and Billy stood in the doorway. He eyed the pair of them suspiciously, but didn't say a word.

"How are you holding up, Kid?" Barney asked him; his voice as fatherly as ever.

"Good, thanks to Kate." he replied with a smile towards her.

"Good. I need to take care of something. How about barbecue for dinner?"

"Sound's great." Billy replied.

"Alright then. Have everything ready in an hour. You guys OK with that?" Barney asked more in Billy's direction than in Kate's. The sniper nodded. Barney was about to rise when Kate stopped him.

"We're not done here." she hissed and fixed Barney with a look.

"Oh, yes. We are, Ms. Evans." he said in a tone that left no room for argument. Then he was gone.

Kate let herself fall back in the chair and took a deep breath. _To be continued_, she thought raging. Billy approached her and sat down on the now vacant place opposite of her.

"Are we OK?" he asked gingerly his eyes searching hers.

The anger about Barney was forgotten almost instantly as she saw the pleading look in his eyes. She nodded with a smile.

"Of course." she replied.

A short but not uncomfortable silence fell upon them. Kate's gaze wandered to Billy's arm again. She'd done a good job. Then she became aware of his appearance. His hair was tousled and his clothes filthy and ripped in some places. He looked pretty roughed up and she couldn't help but grin. He shot her a questioning glance.

"What?"

"You need to shower, soldier." she scolded him teasingly, removing some dirt from his forehead.

"Wanna join me?" he retorted with a wolfish grin.

"Cocky are we, Mr. Timmons?" she laughed. "Maybe next time. Go, get changed. I'll take care of the foot."

"How domestic." he grinned back, but rose.

Kate just rolled her eyes. She got up and rummaged through the counter drawers finally handing him a roll of plastic wrap.

"Here. Put that around the bandage to keep it dry."

"Too bad." he sighed bending down to her ear. "I was kind of hoping to see the nurse again." he whispered with a grin.

Kate gaped at him and couldn't help but blush. The next moment Billy was gone.

* * *

While Billy showered, Kate busied herself with the food. She prepared a salad and the meat and set the dishes on the table. Then she went outside to get the grill going. While she fumbled with the lighter, Lee approached her.

The young woman looked up as he took the lighter from her hand. She let it happen and watched him getting the fire started. They watched the flames in silence for a while. Then Lee spoke up.

"I think today was first time I've ever seen Barney Ross getting his ass kicked by a woman. And you did it twice in one day. I'm impressed."

Kate's head whirled around to look at him but the Brit merely chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, Love. I think he really needed it. But you have to understand him too."

Exhilaration was gone as fast as it had appeared. Kate snorted.

"When Billy got injured, we all feared that he wouldn't make it and believe me Barney took it the hardest. I don't know what it is but he always had some kind of fatherly feelings towards the kid. He would never put him out without any backup except for this time. Before we went in on the mission in Albania Billy had proven himself and Barney saw no problem in letting him go in alone. It turned out as a mistake but it's what happens in our line of work. People get hurt."

He made a small pause, giving Kate time to let his words sink in.

"When he recovered, Barney wouldn't let him head out on missions alone, but Billy insisted. I think he kind of had to prove himself that he could do it. And he had. Billy, he's over this thing, but Barney cannot help but feel responsible for him. So if he attacks you he merely sees a threat in the team's and especially Billy's safety."

Kate was about to protest, but Lee raised his hand to stop her.

"I personally think that the contrary is the case. I've never seen Billy at such ease with himself or his job before you joined us. I just wanted you to know this." Lee ended and turned around. Toll and Gunnar were approaching them. He gave the young woman one last sympathetic look, then he headed to his team mates.

Kate stood there thunderstruck. That information shed a whole new light on Barney and the team. She took a deep breath and headed back for the house. She needed some time to think this all over. But on the way to her room, Hale stopped her in the kitchen to ask for her help with the food. She internally sighed. Again, no time to reflect what she'd just heard.

* * *

**AN: What do you think about Barney being so mean to Kate? As always: Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

The evening passed uneventful as did the following day. Everybody was sleeping in either due to the exhaustion of the past day or too much alcohol. Kate hadn't been in a mood to drink, so she was up early as usual.

While the house lay quiet, Kate decided that it would be a good opportunity to take a walk through the forests. She'd not forgotten about the hunting lesson she'd promised Billy and she wanted to familiarize herself with the territory and keep a lookout for possible hunting sides.

She got dressed and headed downstairs. When she closed the farmhouse door, it had just quit raining and a cold breeze blew in her face. It was slightly warmer than the previous days; the snow was gone, leaving the earth soaked wet and muddy. But Kate didn't mind the weather. Mud always meant that animal prints were visible much easier. It was not as comfortable as searching for them in the snow, but she was alright with that. She pulled the hood over her cap and headed for the woods.

The hours passed and Kate was so caught up in her thoughts that she completely forgot the time. Every now and then she found some tracks following them for a while hoping to see some game. She was lucky and saw a doe with its fawn. She pulled out her binoculars and observed the pair as they foraged at the little green remaining at that time of the year.

While she watched the animals, her thoughts wandered to her conversation with Lee and what he'd told her about Barney's relationship towards Billy. Somehow she could understand Barney's protectiveness. He was responsible for the wellbeing of his team. But it was unfair of him to think that she was a security risk, just because she was a woman. She'd proven herself and she probably knew Billy better than any of them.

They'd served together and even though they'd done only one op together, she could read him very well. Remembering the countless times they'd sat at their hideout, discussing strategic things or just how they would approach a certain situation, they would agree ever so often. And the training they done after her sniper lesson proved her right. She might not have the same strength as compared to him, but she was able to keep up with him simply by knowing his next move. And that, in her eyes, qualified her more than anything to watch his back.

She was convinced if Barney had allowed her to go with them, Billy wouldn't have been shot and she was still angry with the Expendables' team leader that he hadn't kept her in the loop about it. Thinking about the sniper's gunshot wound she made a mental note to check on his injury later.

The rumbling of her stomach reminded her about the amount of time which must have passed since she'd left the farmhouse. She glanced at her watch. It was already after noon. She stored the binoculars in her pocket and headed back home. Once back at Barney's farmhouse, she found the group of mercenaries sitting in the kitchen as usual.

"Kate! Where the hell have you been?" Lee exclaimed as she entered the room.

"Calm down. I've just been for a walk." she replied and got rid of her jacket. Her eyes met Billy's for a second and she was taken aback by the look of worry embedded in them. Remembering yesterday's events ever so clearly, he must have felt the same way she had when he'd headed out on that mission. Now, she felt bad that she hadn't left a note or anything.

"Saw some game." she mumbled in her defense.

"And you didn't bring them with you?" Hale exclaimed. "I would die for some good roast venison."

Kate couldn't help but laugh. The man always seemed to have the right words to lift her spirits, even though his favorite topics were weapons and food.

"I can't help you with that." Kate replied and winked in Billy's direction, hoping to lighten his mood. His answer was an almost imperceptible grin. The others didn't need to know about their deal; at least not now.

She strolled over to the sniper who was watching something on TV. He looked a lot more relaxed and healthier than yesterday and Kate was glad that he had only suffered a minor injury.

"What are you watching?" she asked as she popped down next to him.

Billy turned to her. "Dunno. I had other things on my mind." he replied with eyes locked with her.

His voice was low so that the others couldn't hear their conversation but Kate could make out disappointment within it and her heart dropped. Only 24 hours ago she'd been to hell and back. Now, she realized that he was as concerned about her wellbeing as she was about his.

"I'm sorry. You were still asleep and…" she trailed of and turned her gaze towards the TV. When on earth had she become so attached to him? They hadn't seen each other for almost a year and each of them had been fine, relatively speaking, and now they couldn't go without one another for a few hours? For the past couple of weeks they'd been barely separated mainly due to the fact that they were living under the same roof and only when one of them been gone for a few hours the other had been sick of worry. It was a fact and it caused Kate an aching knot in her stomach. But she forbade herself to think about it, at least not now.

"You could have said something."

"But I didn't and I am back safely so why don't we let it go." she snapped, instantly regretting her harsh tone. She ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. She didn't want to fight with Billy, but she was still too confused about what had happened and what she'd heard yesterday.

They sat in silence for a short while not really paying attention to the images flickering on the TV-screen. Kate could still feel the tension and even though she kind of became used to her fights with Barney, she couldn't stand something standing between Billy and her. Not sure how to set peace with him, she asked:

"How's the arm?"

"Fine. Still a little sore but otherwise good."

"We should change the dressing sometime today. Oh, come on! Don't gimme that look." Kate couldn't help but laugh as she saw the expression on Billy's face. He clearly didn't like the fact that his injury still needed medical attention.

"Get up." she ordered playfully in an attempt to lighten his mood.

"I don't get a vote in this, do I?" he groaned as he watched her rise. Seeing the smile on her face and the amused sparkle in her eyes, Billy could no longer be mad at her. He sighed and got up as well.

"No, you don't." Kate smirked as she headed for the stairs. Inside her room, she opened her first-aid box while Billy tugged his sleeve back. Returning with a fresh dressing, Kate took a closer look that the injury. The angry red skin where she'd placed the stitches had gone back to normal and the swelling had vanished. She was pleased with her work.

"Looks way better than when I last saw it."

She carefully ran her fingers along the gash. His skin was warm and smooth, exactly like she remembered it. Feeling the warmth under her fingertips, she realized how close she'd come to lose him. A couple of inches to the side and it could've ended way worse. And that particular thought scared her pretty much.

When she looked up to meet his gaze, she was surprised to see Billy smile in response to her touch.

"What?" she asked a little bewildered, not realizing that her fingers still rested on his arm.

"You really should have considered becoming a nurse. You're a natural."

She shot him a distracted smile, her thoughts still miles away.

"Thanks. I hope you don't have a scar."

"If I do, it'll remind me that you patched me up."

There was something in his tone that made Kate's heart pound faster. His sincerity and gratitude not only for her aid but for something else Kate couldn't quite name. But she was touched by his words. And suddenly she felt ashamed that she'd been so rude with him earlier. She quickly turned away to get the new dressing and started to bandage his arm.

As Billy watched her work, he could not help but notice that something was bothering her. Her brows were furrowed and even though he could not put his finger on it, he sure as hell didn't like the state of mind she was into. His best guess was that she was worrying about the mission and he could totally understand her.

Yesterday's events had just shown one more time how dangerous their job could be, but she needed to keep her mind focused. While they'd been out in the field yesterday, all he could think about had been her and it had led to his injury and he didn't want her to get in the same situation. He watched her finishing up, but as she was about to turn away from him, he got hold of her wrist and stopped her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked tentatively, hoping that she would open up to him.

"Of course." she replied courtly, but Billy didn't believe her.

"Are you scared?"

Her head jerked up at this unexpected question. She didn't respond immediately but held his searching gaze. It was like his deep blue orbs were seeing right to the ground of her soul and it took her a lot not to break the eye contact. Over the years, she'd become used to not showing her fear. She didn't want to appear weak in front of her mostly male team mates. But Billy broke down her walls like they weren't even there. And nobody except him had made her feel that vulnerable, not ever.

"A little bit, yes." she finally admitted. "But not of Silva…" she trailed of unsure how to put her feelings in words. Truth to be told, she was scared that something would happen to him. Even though it had been just a flesh wound this time, he'd come close to death once more and this mission seemed to be more dangerous than the previous ones.

"Hey, come here." he said gently and reached for her. Kate complied willingly as he wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin on top of her head.

"I know exactly what you mean." he murmured.

Taking in his scent, his tall frame leaning against her body, Kate was too stunned to say a word. Since yesterday something clearly had changed between them, but she couldn't put her feelings into words. Still confused about his caring gesture, she remained close to him, her head placed against his chest, unable, _unwilling _to let go of him.

"Remember what I've told you back in Afghanistan after you've been injured?"

"Yes._ You're not alone on this._" Kate whispered.

"And I mean it. I will be with you at the meeting; I will be close by when the drop takes place. I _will_ watch your back."

"And who's gonna watch your back?" she asked, her fingers tracing the outlines of the clean bandage on his arm.

"I'll be fine." he soothed her.

"Promise me."

Even though she knew there was no guarantee that he would be OK, she needed him to understand not to take any stupid risks.

"I promise." Billy murmured, smiling silently about her worrying so much about him.

They stood there in silence, neither of them wanting to let go. After a short while, Kate spoke again.

"I'm sorry."

Billy shifted so that he could look her into the eyes.

"For what?"

"For not telling you where I was going earlier. I didn't mean to upset you."

Billy chuckled as he released her from his embrace. He missed her warmth instantly.

"Forget about it. But next time you take me with you. You still owe me that hunting lesson." he smirked.

Before she could reply the door flew open and Toll came in. He stopped as he saw the sniper that close to Kate, but he didn't say anything, just smiled for a second.

"Kate, we need you downstairs."

"I'm coming. Just give me a second." she replied turning towards the medical supplies spread over her bed. But Billy stopped her.

"Go, I'll take care of it."

* * *

She followed Toll downstairs to Barney's office. The Expendables' leader and Lee were bent over a laptop, a tense look in their faces. She glanced at the computer, but she didn't recognize the files they had been working on.

"What's up?" she asked as she approached them.

"We think you need to see this." Lee said and nodded towards the screen. He opened a video-file and started it. Kate watched the images and her blood ran cold.

Images of tortured people linked to Silva's organization appeared one after one. Killed, no _slaughtered_ people. Men, women, even children. With every passing second the murders became more cruel and horrible. It was a warning. It was the very thing that would happen to her if she slipped up.

But she was not the one to show fear which was synonymous to weakness for her; neither in front of Lee or Barney. The video went on for about five minutes before Lee stopped it, turning towards the young woman.

"So what, that's supposed to scare me?" she said defensively raising her chin.

"It's supposed to warn you. That you have no room for errors." Barney snarled.

"I'll keep that in mind." she mumbled, turned around and left the room. She needed some room. She needed to breathe. Being deployed all over the world, she'd seen a lot but she had to admit that this was beyond anything she'd witnessed before.

She headed straight for the kitchen, grabbing her jacket hanging from one of the chairs. She needed to get away from this place, from these images. Almost at the door, she bumped into Billy who was on his way back to meet with the others.

"Hey, easy." he said but the smile was wiped from his face as he caught her expression. "Kate…"

"Just don't…" she said faintly walking past him.

Billy watched her leaving the house, heading for one of the barns. He was mentally debating with himself whether he should go after her, but he decided to give her some space. But he wondered what had upset her that much. Returning to his team mates he met Lee in the hall.

"What happened?" he asked the Brit, nodding towards the barn where Kate had vanished.

"Better ask her or Barney." Lee answered with a shrug.

"But I am asking you." Billy said, no able to keep the anger out of his voice. Though he was one hundred percent loyal of Barney, he was tired about the frequent arguments between Barney and Kate, especially in the light of the most recent events he was more and more drawn to Kate's side.

Now, he watched Lee sigh.

"See for yourself." he waved towards Barney's office. "But don't blame me for this. It was not our decision to put her on the job."

Billy watched him walk away; then he turned to see Barney.

The Expendables' leader was standing at the window, smoking a cigar. As he heard someone approaching he turned around.

"Billy…"

He was about to say something to the youngest Expendable, but Billy cut off his speech with a wink. He didn't quite know what had gotten into him, but he couldn't stand it anymore. Whenever Kate and Barney had been in the same room, they fought. And even though he had sworn himself not to pick sides to protect her reputation and giving her the chance to earn the guy's respect, he just couldn't keep quiet anymore. She was doing everything in her power to become a part of their team, she was working hard and she cared more about each and everybody on the team than Barney probably knew. And it was not fair to blame her for being literally blackmailed by Church to participate in this op.

"What is it this time? Why can't you just let it go?"

"Can what let go?" Barney asked, genuinely astonished.

"Kate. She's here and she has a job to do. Church assigned her on this mission and believe it or not, she can handle herself."

"And I am just trying to prepare her for what might come."

"What do you mean?"

Billy turned to his boss who nodded towards the laptop. The video-file was still open. The sniper went to the computer and started it. With every photo his expression darkened. At some point he stopped the video. He'd seen enough.

"And you still want to put her into the same room with this guy? This is insane." he asked incredulously.

"You told me she can handle herself." Barney merely said his voice somewhat distant.

Billy whirled around to him, taken aback by his boss's indifference. He'd always thought Barney to be a caring person, doing the job to protect others, including his team. Suddenly, a misgiving roused inside him, sending a cold shiver down his spine.

"You want this mission to fail. You want her out of this team. She's my friend! And you send her in to die!"

Now, Barney turned and shook his head, his expression earnest but somewhat tired.

"No, not at all, Billy. But I want her to be ready for what might come." he repeated.

"By scaring the wits out of her? Damn it, Barney, don't you think she hasn't enough to cope with?"

But the Expendables' leader didn't get to reply because Billy had already left the room.

* * *

Kate knew that she wasn't alone anymore before she heard him, so she didn't bother turning around. Instead, she fired the remaining shots of her clip, hitting the target center mass every time. Only when she clip was empty she put down her ear protection and started to break down her weapon.

"There you are."

She didn't look up from her work, as she heard the familiar voice.

"What do you want, Billy?" she asked a little annoyed. She didn't want to talk to anybody right now. Instead, she caught him settling next to her, gently pushing down her hand to let go of the gun.

"Look, if you are coming to tell me that I owe Barney some kind of apology for leaving…"

"You're not. And even if: that makes two of us." Billy stated.

Kate turned towards him.

"You did piss him off." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, you could say so."

"What did you do?" she asked curiously, forgetting her current sorrows completely.

"We had a little disagreement…" he began slowly.

"I am listening."

Sighing, Billy ran his fingers through his hair, searching for the right words.

"I saw the pictures of Silva's victims."

"And now you think I might become one of them? Well thanks for the support, Billy Timmons, but I know how to take care of myself." Kate snorted and reached for the gun, but Billy stopped her again.

"I didn't say that."

"And what _did_ you say?" Kate groaned. She was tired of this game; all she wanted was to be alone.

"I told him that he should start supporting instead of scaring you."

Kate was about to snap at him, that she didn't need his help when she realized the true meaning of his words. He'd stood up for her in front of his boss. He'd chosen her side instead of Barney's.

"You did?" she asked thunderstruck and watched him shake his head yes. "How did he take it? The loyal always composed sniper going rogue on him."

Billy let out a mocking laugh.

"Guess, we'll never know. I left the room before he could answer."

"Who would've thought that you are such a rebel." Kate smirked and Billy couldn't help but return her grin. But he turned serious ever so sudden as he remembered what had brought him here. Kate had stopped smiling as well, her green eyes locked with his.

"And what do _you_ think?"

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Professionally, I think you are more than capable to go up against Silva."

Kate held his gaze, slowly realizing what was about to come next and her heart pounded faster. She could see Billy mentally debating with himself how to put his thoughts into words.

"And personally?"

"I wouldn't send you in. Not in a thousand years." he said quietly.

Her eyes were glued to his as her hand instinctively wandered to his cheek, cupping it gently.

"I'll be fine." Kate whispered soothingly.

"There's no guarantee for that." he murmured as his hands wandered to her waist. No, he couldn't let her go in on the meeting with Silva. Not after what he'd just seen. He would do all in his power to keep out of harm's way. His gaze dropped on her lips and he was about to lean in to kiss her, when she suddenly stiffened and brought a little space between them.

Being so close to him, inhaling his scent, Kate was too stunned to say anything else. But as she realized what he was going to do, she snapped out of her rigidity. No, this was not good. She knew exactly where this would lead and the timing couldn't be any worse.

"I should go." she gasped, stroking back her hair hastily, unable to meet his gaze.

"Kate…" he pleaded. He watched her gathering her things in haze. Getting hold of her arm, he tried to stop her, but she cast off his hand.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and the next second she was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

It was only two days until their mission in Serbia and with every hour ticking by, Kate could feel the group get tenser. Maps were prepped and Intel checked and rechecked not to mention the massive amount of weapons they would take with them. Kate mostly kept to herself, memorizing every detail of the software she had to get back and things she had to know about it to verify the product when Silva sell it to her.

It was the afternoon before their departure the next day, when Barney ordered them to stop working.

"I think we're done." he stated with a content smile. "Let's have some downtime before we leave. Tonight at Andy's, everything's on my tab."

The other's whistled in approval, but Kate wasn't too happy. She didn't like the cramped bar much like Lacy's back in New Orleans and the people there. She exchanged a look with Billy who was working on something at the rear end of the room and couldn't help but grin. Rolling his eyes about Barney's suggestion, he was obviously thinking the same. As the others started to clean up whatever they'd been done, she strolled over to him.

Since their little encounter in the barn, they had barely spoken to each other and if it was mostly about the mission. It was all the nicer when she'd seen the genuine smile on his lips, clearly not liking Barney's plans either.

"What about you get your hunting lesson tonight?" Kate asked quietly as she leaned against the counter.

Billy nodded with an astonished yet joyful smile.

"Sounds great."

"Do you think Barney will be OK with me stealing you away from the boys?" Kate asked a little doubtful.

"He'll have no other option but to let me go." Billy stated with a grin. "I'll tell him that we'll stay here."

He rose and went to his boss. They exchanged a few words. The Expendables' leader didn't look in Kate's direction but she could see him nod. Then she watched him vanish and return with an almost antique shotgun. He handed it to Billy and patted him on the shoulder.

"What was that?" Kate asked, as he returned to her.

"He gave me his shotgun. For good luck on my first hunt." Billy said with a smile and handed the weapon to Kate. She took it and started to examine it.

"Nice." she said approvingly.

"So when do we start?" Billy asked.

"Eager are we, Mr. Timmons?" Kate laughed. She glanced at her watch. It was shortly after 4:00 PM. Dusk would not approach until an hour or two. But she decided that it would not hurt to get out a little early.

"We start now." she decided on the spur of the moment and rose. "Let's get our things."

* * *

Half an hour later, she was dressed in warm clothing and had set her backpack with the gear the needed. Binoculars, a knife, a rope and her rifle of course.

She met up with Billy and they walked the short distance to the woods, Kate explaining him some important things he had to know. On her walk a few days ago she'd spotted a nice place she hoped they would see some game. It provided a good overview about the area and she'd spotted the doe with its fawn there earlier. She had no intention to kill either of them but the place seemed to be a good food source for them and Kate was certain that other animals would show up there as well.

While she described him a number of animals tracks and taught him what he had to keep looking for, Billy was slightly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things she told him about the woods.

"And your grandfather taught you all this?"

He knew quite a bit about this surrounding himself, because his job recommended it, but mostly things like how to orientate in a forest or how to find a water source. Even in winter, so with the trees and shrubs without foliage, Kate could tell them apart easily and recite whether they were food sources for animals or poisonous.

"Yeah, most of it. He took me hunting quite often. And when I joined the service we did some survival training in the Rockies. Was more like a camping trip for me."

"How's that?"

"My granddad and I used to stay outside for a few days sometimes. No food, no water, we had to search for everything."

"Seriously?" Billy gaped at her, but Kate merely laughed.

"I was his only grandchild and he taught me everything he would've taught a grandson." she shrugged. Speaking about her loved ones, she realized that she knew pretty little about Billy's family. She remembered that his parents weren't connected to the military, but when she'd asked him about them back in the Stan, he'd become very quiet. Now, she decided to take a new attempt on it.

"What about you? You've never told me if you have any siblings." she asked, looking up to him.

"I have a sister." he said courtly and Kate couldn't help notice his tense tone and clenched jaw. But her curiosity kept her pushing.

"How old is she?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes, of course. Billy, what's going on?" Kate asked tentatively.

"Nothing. Can't we just not talk about it right now?" he replied, without looking to her.

"Sure." she mumbled, astonished about his harsh reaction. "Look, I am sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No, don't apologize." Billy said in a much softer voice. "I just don't want to talk about her right now."

"OK." Kate shook her head yes, but she wondered what had happened between the two of them. She knew that Billy wouldn't tell her. At least not until he was ready. So she decided to let it go and focused on the reason they were in the woods.

"I think you got the whole shooting thing covered pretty good." she stated as they continued their way into the woods. "But let's see how good you are with the tracks. Lead the way."

Billy nodded, thankful that she hadn't taken his words personally and tried to focus on the task. He hadn't meant to upset Kate, but it was neither the right time nor the right place to talk about such things like his family. Maybe when the mission was over, he would tell her. But not now. He searched the snowy ground for any signs of living creatures around and it didn't take him long to find some fresh deer tracks.

* * *

Kate had spotted the stag long before Billy did. They'd been out for hours now, dusk approaching fast making it hard to spot anything so when he saw the movement in front of him, he yanked up the shotgun as if it was an assault rifle. It was an old habit of someone being used to handle weapons in a different environment. Before he could pull the trigger, Kate stopped him, her arm slightly pushing the rifle down.

"Easy now. We are not within reach yet. Follow me." she whispered and pointed to their right; away from the animal.

"No, we need to get closer." Billy whispered back.

"Yeah, but not this way. The wind is coming from behind. If it picks up speed just a little it will smell us and take off. Come." she replied equally quiet and made her way through the shrubs. Neither of them needed to be told where to set foot. Kate had stalked like this a thousand times and Billy was doing it automatically, courtesy of his profession.

They enclosed within shooting distance. The stag hadn't noticed them so far. Billy looked to Kate who nodded. He raised the rifle and shot. He didn't miss his mark. The stag made a few steps then staggered and finally slumped down on the cold forest ground.

Kate gave Billy an approving nod and made her way to the animal. It was still alive but its strength was fading fast. She knelt down beside it gently stroking its neck making shushing noises.

Billy watched her, mesmerized by the soft tone she used to soothe the animal. And after a few moments, the stag became calmer and calmer until one last breath emerged from its nose. Kate remained next to the animal for a few more seconds; then she rose.

"Good hunting." she smiled as she stepped to him.

"Thanks." he said, still fascinated by her calm routine and how she had valued the animal. They fastened the rope around the stag's fore and hind legs. By this it would be easier for them to carry it back home. Once back at the farmhouse they went for one of the old barns to hang up the deer. Then they started to peel of the skin and cut the meat into handy pieces they could put into the freezer. While they worked Kate told Billy some hunting stories, as her grandfather had used to.

Seeing her interact with the deer and telling him hunting tales, the sniper could see how much she liked being outdoors. She was one with the nature and she appreciated every creature but still had a very rational way of coping with life and death. It mesmerized him how she kind she'd been with the animal on one hand and how lethal she could be on the other hand. He'd watched her decisiveness enough times when heading out to missions in the Afghan province to know that she knew no mercy when it came to the point where she had to decide who was going to die and who was going to live. And Billy admired her for that.

* * *

When they had finished taking care of the deer, they cleaned the room and made their way back to the main house. In the kitchen, Billy went to the fridge and took out two beers, handing one to Kate. She took it with a thankful smile.

"To your first deer." she said raising her bottle.

"To my excellent spotter." Billy replied and took a sip of his beer. "I should clean the rifle. Barney's gonna kill me if he doesn't get it back in the exact same shape."

"No, I'll do that. Why don't you sit down and enjoy your first hunting success." Kate offered with a smile, reaching for the rifle.

Kate cleared some space on the table, while Billy stood next to her, playing with some empty ammo clips, a smile on his lips.

"What?" Kate asked him as she caught his expression.

"Nothing. I just remembered you in your full protective gear, manning much bigger weapons like this. Still can't believe that you carried your gear and your team mate's M107 all the way back to base when he was shot."

"That's my job." she shrugged, but she was quite humbled by this unexpected compliment he'd paid her.

While Kate worked on the rifle, Billy continued playing with the clip in his hands. But he didn't pay much attention to what he was doing, instead he observed her askance.

Over the past days, they'd only, if all, spoken about business and even though he had tried his hardest not to let this affect his work, he had missed her company. He watched her finish cleaning the weapon and finally checking it by breaking it apart and putting it back together seamlessly in no time at all. Seeing her work reminded him that tonight he'd seen a totally different side of Kate. Maybe it was because of the fact that they'd been fighting, but her vast knowledge and the ease and joy with which she performed her task had never been more visible to him. And he couldn't help but admire her for that.

Well aware of the fact that he was observing her, Kate blew the blonde bangs of her ponytail out of her eyes, while adjusting the scope. _Two can play that game, Mister_, she silently smirked. That earned her a chuckle. As she caught his glance she turned to him raising an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

"You love doin' that, don't you?" he asked, his voice low and loaded with something that sent a warm feeling straight down south.

"I'd rather think you love seeing me doing that." she winked, placing the rifle on the table in front of her while turning towards him.

And with that it was all over for him. Team mate or not, he could no longer resist her. He let his ammo clip drop on the table and with one swift move he had her tucked all the way up against him.

"Are you seducing me, Ms. Evans?" he whispered.

"Depends."

His eyes had darkened and Kate could feel the heat radiate from him. She didn't know what had led to this, but she was definitely not complaining about it.

"You are something else." he murmured and bent down to kiss her.

As soon as their lips touched, it was as if a switch was turned on between them at the contact. Their relationship had been intense ever since, but more on an emotional level. They had been friends for the longest time, but they both had risked a look at the other. And for Kate, she'd been lost the moment she'd looked in those deep blue eyes for the first time.

The first kiss they'd shared back in Afghanistan had been passionate and loaded with something she couldn't name, but feeling his soft lips on hers for the second time now, this was completely different; it was a raging fire, consuming them both with heat. They were just hours away from heading to a dangerous mission and neither of them wanted to waste another second of their precious time together.

Her hands moved up to his t-shirt, clinging to it tightly, her fingernails scraping his chest through the material. His hands slipped under her black top, palms meeting the smooth, hot skin of her back.

His lips wandered to the skin of her neck and they both forgot about the danger they would be heading into, forgot about everything. They were lost in a haze of something.

The ringing of his phone, made them jump apart, but Billy caught himself thinking that with this beautiful woman all pressed against him, squirming and sighing he couldn't care less.

"Bedroom." he just murmured letting the phone drop carelessly on the table, his lips already back on hers, while he walked her down the hall towards the stairs leading up.

They'd barely made it up the stairs, when his hands slipped farther under her shirt and grasped, pulling it up over her head, pinning the material and her wrists that were wrapped in it against the wall above her head. After taking a moment to appreciate her in just a bra his lips found her collarbone and his tongue the dip at her throat and oh God, she tasted like snow and gunpowder. The soft moan that came from her throat as he moved down her breastbone brought him back into reality. Panting, he pulled away taking in his surroundings. They couldn't do this. Not with the upcoming mission and Barney and the others returning any minute. Kate must have read his thoughts.

"What, do you chicken, Timmons?" she whispered teasingly.

He took in the sight of the woman standing in front of him, cheeks flushed, hair tousled from his hands and his doubts were gone instantaneously.

"If anyone disturbs us, I'll shoot him myself." he murmured.

"I'll hold you to that." Kate smirked and entangled her hands from her shirt to get hold of his.

She shoved the smooth material up over his head, reluctant to break contact with his glorious body, fingers tracing the line of his abs. He helped her pull it off and was about to kiss her again, when he saw the look on her face.

Her eyes, filled with horror, were glued to the scars on his torso. The bigger one reached horizontally across his entire chest, but it was the second, the small one, that scared her the most. It was about two inches long and terribly close to his heart.

"God, Billy…" she whispered her breath caught in her throat. She'd always known that he'd been severely wounded on that mission in Albania. But it was beyond her power of imagination how someone could survive this kind of injury.

"Shh, I'm fine." he said soothingly, pulling her close. He could feel her trembling and gently placed his lips on her hair.

"I've been worse."

They both knew it was a lie, but Kate couldn't speak. She was like paralyzed.

"It's not like this is the first injury you've seen."

Images of her last mission overseas flashed back to her mind. The deafening noise of weapons being fired. Ben's body lying on the ground. The smell of gunpowder and of blood. Kate raised her head to meet his eyes. There was such decisiveness in her look, it stunned him instantly.

"It's not that. But I've lost too many friends in combat, Billy, and I don't think I can stand losing another." she said with a trembling voice. "I can't stand losing you."

For a second, Billy just looked at her in complete surprise. Then he reached for her cheek, cupping it gently with his hand and kissed her; tender and sweet.

"And you won't." he whispered and with that he pulled her down with him onto his bed.

* * *

A few hours later they lay huddled up to one another; Kate's arm loosely draped across Billy's body, listening to his even breath.

"What have we done?" she whispered. The sniper shifted her so that they could look in each other's eyes.

"Do you regret it?" he asked.

"No." Kate shook her head without hesitation. "But the team…"

"Screw the team." Billy muttered causing Kate to laugh.

"Watch your mouth. From what I've learned they can be really hostile."

But he merely chuckled.

"As I can be. No one's laying a hand on you, except for me."

"Marking our territory are we, Mr. Timmons?"

"You have no idea…" he murmured and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was long and lingering. Soon Billy had her pinned under him, enjoying the intimacy with his lover. Kate reciprocated his kisses, but a quick glance to the alarm clock in his bedside table told her that they were running into some serious trouble if they would keep on going. The rest of the group would be home soon.

Reluctantly breaking contact with him, she thought about their situation. They were just hours away from departing to Serbia. How would this affect the mission and the team? As if he'd read her thoughts, Billy gently placed a strand of hair behind her ear, locking eyes with her.

"What's on your mind?"

"Do you really want this?" she asked quietly. "Us?"

She could not quite put her doubts into words, but somehow Billy understood. Understood the meaning embedded in this word. This was not only about them starting some kind of relationship but also them working together and crossing a line, at least Kate had sworn never to cross in her life. Mixing your work with your private life. But as Billy spoke again, her doubts were gone in an instant.

"I let you go once, Kate Evans. I will not make the same mistake twice."


	9. Chapter 9

The roaring of plane propellers woke Billy early the next morning. Still sleepy, he rose and slipped over a shirt before patting to the window from which he could see the source of the noise.

Barney's plane was rolling slowly out of the barn, Lee marshalling him. They taxied the aircraft towards the small and for Billy's sense insanely short strip of grass that served them as a runway. But his boss had done countless take-offs and landings here and Billy had faith in his abilities.

Now, he became aware of the pile of boxes next to their makeshift runway and the two figures next to it. They waited for the plane to come to a halt; then they started loading the plane. A smile crept onto Billy's lips as he recognized Kate helping Hale and Lee store their gear. From his line of sight he could see her joking with Lee while handing him box after box. Even though she was not as strong her team mates, she managed the task with ease and it was not the first time Billy wondered what tricks she had developed to compensate for it. He watched her for a few more minutes and just before he was about to turn away to get dressed, she turned around looking up to him. Somehow, she must have sensed his gaze. She tentatively raised a hand to greet, an almost imperceptible smile on her lips. He returned the gesture with a grin and could have sworn that he'd seen her blush, but she'd already turned away.

Still thinking about Kate, he gathered his things, showered, got dressed and went downstairs to meet with the rest of the group. After a short breakfast, they loaded the remaining gear into the plane and finally took off, heading eastwards to Serbia.

* * *

During the flight, everybody was quiet and kept to himself. The guys were mostly dozing away while Kate was reading a book, but she glanced to Billy every once in a while. He would return her looks stealthily smiling at her. Both were thinking about last night.

While Billy was able to relate to Kate's apprehension about the team's opinion on them, he was quite confident that they wouldn't take it too serious when they would tell them someday. But he respected her wish to get this mission done first. Even though he was glad that their hunting trip had ended like this and they'd finally come clean with each other, it took a lot more than one night to make a relationship work. And Billy longed for this job be done quickly so they could sort out whatever he and Kate had or didn't have. Now, they could focus on their tasks without unsolved feelings clouding their judgment. Or at least he hoped so.

At some point, Lee took over for Barney who headed to the back of the plane to give some last update about their operation.

"OK, we will touch down in about an hour. Everybody knows the plan. We go directly to the safe house while Billy, Toll and Kate head to the hotel. Cars' been deposited for us. Make sure that you don't check in at the same time. Even though you go in under fake identities I don't want them to get on our trail by chance."

Barney let his gaze hover over the three of them. He and Church had agreed that it would look more plausible for Kate and Toll to stay at a hotel officially rather than to go dark after the meeting. It meant more risk for them and after some discussions they'd decided to add Billy to the team. He would stay at the same hotel; disguised as a businessman.

"I suggest you guys get changed." Barney ended his quick briefing. "Any questions?"

They shook their head no.

Kate rose and began rummaging through her suitcase. She decided to wear jeans, a hoddie and solid boots for the flight. Now it was time for something classier. While she gathered her clothes, Toll and Billy had gone to the rear end of the plane to change their attire.

Toll was the first to return. He was wearing a simple black suit with a white shirt. No tie. Despite the suit, he still made a dangerous appearance and Kate thought that Barney had chosen well with him to accompany her on the meeting. Not only because of his intimidating attire. Over the past couple of weeks she and Toll had spent a fair amount of time together prepping the mission and he knew her quite well.

A few moments Kate heard a second pair of footsteps meaning that Billy had finished up. She rose and gathered her things to head for the small toilet at the back of the plane. She had to round a few boxes containing their gear so she didn't catch sight of Billy immediately. But when she saw him, it took her all her effort not to stop dead in her tracks.

Like Toll, Billy was wearing a suit, but it was of a dark grey color that somehow intensified the color of his blue eyes. His button-down shirt only gave a hint of the muscles flexing below the soft material. A matching tie completed his outfit.

Kate wasn't sure whether their little encounter last night that changed her view on her team mate, but she couldn't help thinking that he looked _good_. She felt that she was thinking with her heart and it was not the best thing to do when heading out on a mission. She knew the time would come when reality would kick in and she would become aware of the danger they were heading into. But for now, she enjoyed the light feeling and pushed the dark thoughts aside as she made her way towards him, her eyes locked with his. She could practically see the smug smile on his lips even though his expression wasn't giving him away.

"Wow, look at you." Kate smirked keeping her voice low so they wouldn't be overheard. "You clean up really nice, Mr. Timmons."

But before he could make some witty comment she passed him and headed for the small cabin to get changed too. It took her a little longer than the two men. She swapped her casual outfit for a pencil skirt and thighs- both of black color- and red a silk blouse with matching heels. After letting her hair flow down over her shoulders she applied subtle makeup and put on her beige winter coat, fastening the belt around her waist. It was showing her legs and a hint of her skirt. Finally she wrapped a black scarf around her neck and draped it nicely.

_Better get in character rather sooner than later_, she thought by herself and gathered her things. The time for distractions of any nature was over and she had to keep her mind focused on the job. With one last approving look in the mirror, Kate straightened her shoulders and took in a deep breath. She would leave Kate Evans in this plane and be Eva Kubin as soon as they touched down in Pristina.

Leaving the small room, she headed back for her seat to prepare her for the descent. When she rounded the boxes that separated her from the rest of the team, she was still in thoughts about the forthcoming op, so she didn't notice that everybody was staring at her. Sensing that something was off, she raised her head looking into the faces of five obviously stunned men.

"What? It's not like you've never seen me in heels before." she rolled her eyes. Sometimes it was exhausting to be the only female working with a bunch of testosterone-filled cowboys. But as she caught Billy's glance she blushed.

"Actually, we haven't." Hale said with a smirk and the others nodded grinning. Kate still holding Billy's gaze blushed even more. God, what was this man doing with her?

She mumbled something X-rated under her breath and stored her clothes in her suitcase. Barney was calling that they should get ready for the descent so she sat down in her seat. While the plane slowly lost altitude, she closed her eyes and focused on the mission. She went through every file she'd memorized over the past weeks. Maps, exit routes, faces, names… There was no room for error and the closer they came to their destination the more evident it became to her that this would not be a walk in the park.

* * *

Their ride to the hotel and the check-in went without any problems. While Kate and Toll set up their equipment to communicate via an encrypted line with the rest of the team, Billy made a detour to avoid arriving at the hotel at same time as his team mates.

The two were almost finished with the secure Wi-Fi on Kate's laptop when her satellite phone rang. It was the one Silva was supposed to call her on, so she quickly activated her earpiece making sure that Barney could listen in on the conversation.

"Da?" Kate said as she picked up the call.

"_Ms. Kubin?"_

"Who's this?"

_"I guess you already know. Did you have a pleasant flight?_"

She couldn't help but wince at the sound of Silva's voice. Through the politeness, she could sense the danger this man was emitting. Pictures of the cold-blooded murders committed by him came to her mind, but she pushed the thought aside quickly. Inhaling deeply she squared her shoulders as she waited for him to continue.

"Yes, thank you. Why are you calling? I thought…"

"_Change of plans._" he cut her off. "_Meet me at GEBO CLUB. 11:00 PM._"

"I'll be there." she responded curtly. Then the line went dead.

"Great." she groaned as she sat down on the edge of her bed, hands nervously stroking back her hair. "This thing hasn't even started and he changes the plan yet?"

"Calm down. It's probably just a test." Toll said as he kept working on the laptop.

Seconds later, the other satellite phone she was supposed to use for communication with Barney rang.

_"I spoke to Billy. We stick to the plan."_ he told her outright and hung up.

"Great. Just great." Kate muttered as she sat down on the couch and flicked on the TV.

She didn't pay much attention to what she was watching. Her thoughts wandered back to the call and that their neatly constructed plan had been ripped into pieces before she had even met Silva. She knew that this could happen and it was seemingly no big deal. But all their plans concerning emergency procedures were useless now. She couldn't help but feel nervous. She wished that she could talk to Billy right now. He would just sit beside her and listen to her thoughts and eventually find some soothing words.

A little smile crept on her face as she recalled the memories from last night. After they'd made love, she'd stayed with him and they'd talked about the mission. Not about anything in particular, but about their feelings on this; for a lack of better words. They were confident in succeeding, but neither of them had been able to shut out the bad gut feeling they both had ever since Church had announced the nature of their mission back in Lacy's bar.

A yawn escaped her lips as she tried to calm herself. Being awake the whole night and during the flight and the jet lag kicking in, she felt her eyelids getting heavy as the TV lulled her into sleep.

* * *

"Kate… Kate. Wake up. It's time."

The surprisingly soft voice of Toll and his hand gently shaking her awake brought her back to life. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"Sorry. I was just so tired after the flight." she smiled sheepishly at him.

"It's alright." he smiled back. "But I thought you might want to get changed before we hit the party."

"Thanks." she replied and rose.

Gathering her things for the second time that day, she headed for the bathroom and prepared herself for the meeting. While she changed her clothes, her thoughts wandered back to the day she'd bought them. Ever since she'd known that she would meet Silva in a club instead of any other place, she'd thought about how to protect herself. Such soft locations ruled out the possibility of carrying any weapons let alone protective gear. She'd ragged her brain for days before she'd found a way not to ensure but to enhance her personal safety, even though she dearly hoped that she wouldn't need it.

Half an hour later, she was done and returned to Toll, who had been watching TV while waiting for her.

"What do you think?" she asked hesitantly.

"Suits the occasion." Toll smirked as he saw her outfit.

"Stop it. I cannot blush in front of my bodyguard." she scolded playfully but was humbled by his unspoken compliment.

"Roger that, Ma'am."

He rose and opened the door for her.

"Showtime."

"Showtime." Kate nodded and followed him to the car.

* * *

The ride to GEBO CLUB was silent. Kate tried her best to get focused while she memorized the route they were taking. After a short period of time Toll pulled up directly in front of the club, got out and opened to door offering her a helping hand. Kate took it without a smile and they headed for the doorman.

"Eva Kubin." Toll said as Kate gazed indifferently to the people waiting in the line.

"Come in. Mr. Silva is waiting for you." the doorman said politely and guided them inside.

While Kate and Toll followed him through the crowd the young woman let her eyes wander through the room. She was mostly doing it for spotting exit routes, but mainly she was looking for someone.

And when she saw him her heart skipped a beat. He had looked handsome in his business suit but the dress pants and button-down with its sleeves rolled up he was wearing now were hugging his athletic body in a very fortunate way. Their eyes met for half a second and it took Kate all her effort to get his eyes off him.

"Don't you dare breaking that glass." she muttered deliberately placing a stand of hair behind her ear to allow the earpiece pick up her voice better. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Billy twitch almost imperceptibly as he lowered the glass he was holding.

"Sorry, must be the dress. Damn, where the hell did you get that?" he replied and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

But he didn't get an answer. Kate and Toll had reached the VIP section and were led to a table where they sat down. When the sniper had spotted Kate entering the club he hadn't believed his eyes. He knew that she was a beauty but that outfit took his breath away.

She was wearing a very_ very_ short strapped black dress which was clinging to her curves. It was laced at the cleavage not giving away much but enough to stir a man's imagination. Her over-knees had killer heels and he had no clue how she was able to walk that confident in them. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun and thin silver earrings were dangling down onto her shoulders glistening in the light. Her makeup was heavier than usual; her eyes were black and intense, her lips only with a hint of gloss, curving up into a smile as she'd spotted him. But her outfit was nothing compared to the strong and confident look she wore. It was practically yelling _Don't mess with me or I break your neck!_ and for Billy she'd never looked more beautiful and lethal that the same time.

Now, he watched a man approaching the group. Billy recognized him immediately as Rafael Silva. Through is earpiece he could hear them exchange pleasantries in Serbian. During Kate's practice he'd picked up a few bits and pieces so when he heard the next words his jaw clenched.

"I must say I haven't expected to make business with such a beautiful woman." he leered as he kissed her hand. His voice was polite but his look sent icy shivers down his spine. She forced herself to a flattered smile as his lips made contact with her hand, but knowing her well Billy could tell it was faked.

"Come, sit."

Placing his hand way too low on the small of her back for his liking Silva guided her to another table where a bottle of champagne and some glasses were waiting. Kate complied and took the glass the man handed her.

"I thought we were here to do some business." she said in a honeyed voice.

"Business can wait. I rarely have company of such a beautiful woman." Silva replied as he leaned in whispering something in Kate's ear, unfortunately the one without the earpiece so Billy could not understand what it was. But it made Kate giggle and the sick feeling in his stomach expanded even more. It took all his self-control to maintain an impassive face as he tried not to look too obviously in their direction.

"I am afraid I have to turn that offer down, Mr. Silva. I am on a tight schedule. So why don't we discuss the terms of our deal first and celebrate afterwards?" she suggested and there was just a hint of seduction in her voice causing Silva to agree.

He looked to one of his men who handed him a tablet pc. Showing her what she was about to purchase he quietly spoke to her, explaining a few details here and there. Kate nodded and placed her hand lightly on his arm.

"Looks good." she said as she reached for her glass. "We only have to talk about the money."

They bargained over the sum Kate was willing to pay, her clearly being the better in that game. After a few minutes they agreed on a price.

"That seals it then." Silva raised his glass. "It is a pleasure making business with you, Ms. Kubin." he replied with a grin toasting in her direction.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Thank you so much for the kind reviews! They made my day. **

**Due to some questions that arose: When I am writing about Albania, I refer to the events of Expendables 2 and Billy's capture by Vilain. I read somewhere that the action is taking place in this country so I stuck with it of course. **

* * *

They stayed at the club for two more hours. While Kate and Silva kept talking, Billy observed the pair stealthily. He didn't understand what they were talking about, because his Russian was not that good, but from the look on Silva's face he could tell that he was flirting heavily with Kate. He turned away in attempt to calm his anger. He knew that it was not fair of him to blame Kate for it. She was doing it to protect her skin and from what he could see she was doing it damn well, but he didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.

"What're you drinking?"

He turned his head to the woman standing next to him. She had meant him but she'd been speaking Serbian. He shot her an apologetic smile.

"American?"

He nodded and she repeated her question.

"Whiskey, straight up." he replied without looking at the glass in his hands. He'd started with tonic water, but after seeing Kate interacting with Silva in the way she did, he decided that he needed something to calm his nerves.

"Two." she woman said sitting down next to him.

Billy sighed inwardly. He had a job to do and he didn't like the distraction, but after a short moment he decided that it would look less suspicious to sit here with a stranger rather than alone.

"You're here on vacation?"

"Business." Billy replied taking a sip of his drink, scrutinizing the woman in front of him. She was a pretty brunette and her accent when speaking English was not as heavy as expected. Therefore he assumed that she had a certain standard of education. The thought that Silva had sent her and that they'd been made crossed his mind; sending an icy shiver down his spine. But he pushed the thought aside as he remained his impassive yet polite face.

The woman started to make small talk with him and he played along, repositioning himself on his barstool; seemingly to face her more directly, but in fact to maintain visual of Kate and Silva.

Of course, Billy's company hadn't gone unnoticed on Kate. While she did her best to keep Silva off her lap yet interested in their conversation, she observed Billy's counterpart out of the corner of her eye. From the very moment the brunette had appeared at her side, something about her seemed off. Her mind was working overtime, keeping her head in the game with Silva while figuring out the other issue.

At some point, the brunette took Billy's hand and dragged him with her to the dance floor, starting to dance with him in a very seductive way. He played along - Kate forbade herself the thought that he actually liked her after what had happened between them last night - twirling her, keeping her close. But when the brown-haired stranger shifted in her space, Kate felt her heart almost come to a standstill. Concealed under her top but for a second visible from Kate's line of sight a small knife peered out of the back waistband of her pants. And even though Kate could not bring her full attention to this woman, her demeanor told her that this was not the kind of girl who carried a knife to protect herself but to attack someone.

"Billy, watch out. She's armed with a knife." she whispered in a favorable moment where Silva was talking to one of his bodyguards. She received two clicks over the radio earpiece as confirmation. Looking down at her hands, she could see them shaking, sending small waves through the liquid in her champagne glass. She quickly placed it on the table in front of her hand excused herself to the ladies room.

Closing the door behind her, she checked the cabins inconspicuously just to find them all empty; then she leaned on the sink's edge, staring at her reflection. Her eyes were the same as ever but where they showing the fear she was feeling right now? Kate observed them. She had to keep it together, for her and for Billy's sake. They had put so much effort in the preparation of this mission and she could not let her feeling get the better of her, just because some girl with a knife was dancing with Billy. She'd warned him and he was more than capable to take care of himself, she soothed herself while she refreshed her makeup. Straightening out her dress, she took in a deep breath and glanced at the mirror once again. _Get it done_, Kate scolded herself. _Just a few more hours and it will be all over_.

* * *

The night progressed without any unusual occurrences. The brunette stranger still had Billy occupied, but at some point Kate decided that she'd done what was necessary to satisfy Silva. To say she was tired of his company would have been the understatement of the year; she wanted to get the hell out of this as fast as possible.

At some point Kate excused herself. She claimed to be tired from the flight and Silva didn't question it. Without any complications she and Toll made it back to the hotel. Making sure that they weren't being followed, the headed to their room where Kate sat down immediately, letting out a shaky breath.

"Hey, you did great." Toll said patting her shoulder. Kate looked up to him.

"Yeah. But he's just…" she couldn't suppress a shiver. She always known that Silva was a dangerous man and she'd dealt with countless criminals in her life, but this was different. This time she wasn't wearing protective gear and pointing a weapon at the bad guy. This time her only protection was her cover and it was a fragile thing to keep up.

"I know." Toll replied and reached for the keys. "Hey, I am heading to Barney to get our gear for the exchange. You OK with that?"

"Sure." Kate nodded, but couldn't help but feel a little scared. She didn't want to be alone. Toll must have sensed her thoughts as he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Billy will be back anytime soon. He's next door. I'll tell him to check on you." he said as he opened the door. Kate nodded with a small smile.

"Thanks, Toll." she said and watched him exit the room.

Kate sank back in her chair and let her thoughts wander back to the meeting. It had gone well, but she couldn't help but be afraid of that guy. This was a new kind of threat and she'd sensed it in each and every one of his words.

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door made her jump. She wasn't expecting any company; at least not anytime soon. Cautiously, she approached the door peering through the peephole. Recognizing the person on the other side, she let out a relieved sigh and opened the door.

"Billy…" she started but her speech was cut off by his lips covering hers immediately. Without breaking contact he shifted her in his arms pushing her against the door, hands finding the way to her hips, his grip firm but not uncomfortable.

She was quite taken by surprise about his behavior, but she instinctively slipped her hands around his neck and leaned into his touch. His muscular body was pressed against her; maybe a little bit too fierce but Kate didn't care. His hands were everywhere at once, stroking her back, in her hair and cupping her butt as his lips wandered from her mouth to her neck. He was about to push the straps of her dress aside when he seemed to remember something. Stopping ever so sudden, he cupped her face with his hands forcing her to look him in the eyes and Kate was stunned by the wave of emotion that hit her when she reciprocated his look.

"You're mine." he almost growled as he kissed her fiercely again. She let her hands wander from his neck to his waist pulling him closer.

"I'm yours." she whispered back.

"Mine." he said again with a look that sent shivers down her spine. "If I see someone touching you like this again, he's dead."

"Likewise." she chuckled teasingly, reminding him of his company in the club while her lips finding his; totally wrapped up in the sensation and quite enjoying this unknown side of _her_ sniper.

Billy reciprocated her kiss and pulled her even closer if possible. Feeling her body under his hands he could not remember being that possessive of something let alone someone; not ever. But seeing her in _that dress_ and that bastard touching her, had his blood boiling like nothing ever before.

There she'd been with Silva, alone and unprotected and he had been condemned to watch it all. It had taken his entire self-control not to get up and break every single bone in Silva's body. He knew it was part of her play to seduce him, at least to the point where he would consider her not to be a threat. And even though Billy was certain that she was well aware of the danger she'd been into, he could not help thinking how thin the ice was she was treading on. But she'd made it back safely and her slender frame in his arms and her soft lips on his neck were a comforting reminder.

His hands were still on her hips, feeling the soft fabric of her dress. During the whole time they'd known each other he'd barely seen her wearing something other than her uniform or functional yet somewhat hot clothing. He silently smirked as he recalled her in her favorite cargo pants combined with a tank top that had shown her curves in a very fortunate way, hair loosely braided down her back as she'd worn it so frequently while training with him or Lee. He liked her in her usual sportive attire and he had imagined her to look fabulous in more feminine clothing, but her outfit had taken his breath away.

"Who has even allowed you to wear this dress?" he murmured as his lips trailed down to her collarbone.

"What? Do I need your permission now?" she scoffed in mock offense while wrapping her leg around his. He reached to her waist once again to support her footing.

"Maybe." he couldn't help but smirk. Hearing her light tone dismissed the dark thoughts about Silva and his mood lightened up immediately. He scrutinized her from head to toe, drinking in the sight of her.

"Damn, this is a weapon not a dress."

"Haven't seen anything yet." Kate chuckled and reached down to her left over-knee pulling out a small knife, laughing even more as she saw Billy's jaw drop. Now, her frequent training with Lee as their knife expert made sense.

"Seriously?" he muttered. "Kate Evans, you surprise me every day. Multiple times actually."

That earned him a smug smile. Kate leaned in, her lips wandering up his neck close to his ear. Billy all but moaned by her seductive touch.

"Then why don't you surprise me, Billy Timmons, and _disarm_ me?" she whispered with a smile on her lips and locked eyes with him.

"It's my pleasure." he murmured.

And as he walked her back to the bed, the mission, the team and the danger they were in slipped from their minds. Right then and right there it was just him and Kate, alone and together.

* * *

Toll didn't return until noon the following day giving Kate and Billy plenty of time to cure their jet lag. After getting out of bed rather late they had breakfast and started working on the actual meeting where Silva would hand over the software to Kate.

When Toll entered the hotel room, Kate and Billy were bent over the laptop, their shoulders brushing as they went through the maps of the place Silva had chosen for the exchange.

"OK, I think I've covered all possible meeting locations. If we meet here," she showed him the location, "you will have your best vantage point up here." Kate went on, pointing at one the ridgelines shown on the map. "Wind's stable and calm, but you should take… oh, hey Toll." she looked up as their team mate closed the door. Billy was about to jump up, but she took hold of his arm, pulling him down next to her.

The fellow Expendable had smelt a rat ever since Barney had put Billy as a backup for the meeting and even though Kate suspected him to know about them, her feeling had proven to be right only last night when he'd offered to stay with Barney and the rest, giving her and Billy some privacy. She was grateful for her team mate's presence of mind and made a mental note to thank him for his discretion as soon as this was all over.

"Busy, huh?" Toll asked as he watched the pair.

"Yeah, just checking some minor details." Billy said as he watched Toll put down their equipment. Among the luggage he could make out his back pack and his rifle case. He and Barney had agreed that he would head out with Kate and Toll instead of setting up shop a few hours ahead as he usually would. The recent change of plans from Silva had led to that decision. The sniper would not be of much use if he was positioned at the wrong place. The plan was for Billy to follow Toll and Kate and get a vantage point over the area Silva would pick for the exchange.

But the meeting would not take place until the next day so Kate, Billy and Toll dawdled away their time. After going through the plan once again - Toll filled them in with new Intel from Barney and the others about their status - and ordering food, they decided to watch a movie, but neither of them really paid attention. Their minds were with the mission so it was no surprise when Toll bit the group goodnight early followed by Billy who would sleep in his room this time.

He and Kate had agreed to meet the next morning for some final preparations. After having heard about the nature of their meeting location, literally, Billy had decided to put on his sniper covers meaning his camo-makeup to blend in with his environment.

And while the sniper switched off the lights, his thoughts wandered to the dangerous nature the next part of their op once more and he was glad to see Kate before they would head out to it.

* * *

After a night of restless sleep, Kate got up, showered and put on her clothes. Since she would meet Silva in the woods of the small town Novi Pazar, she decided to go for more functional clothing. Her black faded jeans and soft leather boots matched her black long-sleeved t-shirt which she would wear under her bulletproof vest. It was custom and designed to be worn even under tightly fitting clothes. A down vest and a warm jacket would complete her outfit. Putting on everything except her jacket, she headed to Billy's room as agreed.

He opened the door at the first knock.

"Look at you. That's the woman I know." he smirked as he let her pass.

She rolled her eyes as she watched him close the door.

"Well, good morning to you too." she retorted teasingly as she followed him to his bathroom. The small box with the camo-makeup was lying on the counter already. It wasn't absolutely necessary for him to wear it, but they'd both decided that it was a nice excuse to see each other before departing for the meeting with Silva.

"Face to me." Kate said as she reached for the make-up.

Billy was wearing his usual combat attire. Black cargo pants and a long-sleeved shirt. He could not put on his gear, but his vest, weapons and sniper covers would follow as soon as he'd reached his destination. She dipped her finger into the dark green paste starting to work on the 'foundation'. While her friend turned from a clean shaven handsome man into the soldier and sniper she knew from Afghanistan, she could not help but laugh.

"What is it?" Billy asked as he heard her giggling.

"God, the last time I used this stuff was in basic training. We had to crawl like half a mile and it was raining like hell. Then the sun came out and all the mud turned into stone making it impossible to fight properly. Our instructor had insisted to put on camo-makeup but at the end of the day we didn't need this stuff for cover. We were covered in mud that bad, some of the guys had to cut their gear to get out of it." she laughed as she worked swiftly.

Billy reciprocated her smile as he enjoyed her soft fingers on his skin. Even though he didn't like the camo much, he found quite a liking in it when it was applied by Kate. He observed her swift moves in the mirror and a smile crawled onto his lips as he pictured her in basic training.

"Don't laugh." she scolded him as she continued her work. He complied and let her finish his cover. After she'd applied the dark green foundation on his face, ears and neck she started to grain with dark brown and black. After a few minutes she stepped back and gave her work a scrutinizing look.

"Looking sharp, Timmons." she smirked as she cleaned her hands with a towel.

"How about I make you look sharp?" Billy teased reaching for the makeup.

"Don't you dare." she laughed and was about to leave the room when he got hold of her hand, making her halt in her movement.

Even though his features were concealed under the paint, she could see the sincere worry embedded in his eyes. She stepped to him and allowed him to wrap her in her arms. Careful not to touch her with his painted skin, Billy pulled her as close as possible, drinking her in. They remained like this for a few moments, neither of them saying a word. Finally, Billy dissolved their embrace, cupping her cheek with his hand.

"Be safe." he whispered, his thumb tracing her features.

Kate leaned into his touch, disappointed that she could not touch him without messing up her work. She managed to give him a confident smile.

"I will, you take care of yourself too."

"Promise."

Reluctantly, she glanced to her watch. It was time to leave. With one last look at her friend, Kate turned and left the room without any further word. She needed Billy to stay focused on the task and not to worry about her. She hadn't told anybody, but ever since she'd returned from the meeting with Silva in that club, she got the feeling that something was off.

* * *

This time Silva didn't call to change their plan and after a two hour drive through the grey Serbian forests, Toll and Kate arrived at a small clearing. Bringing the car to a halt, Toll spoke to her without looking in her direction.

"Billy's in position. The team is 10 minutes out. We're ready when you are."

"I am." Kate said with all the confidence she could manage and squared her shoulders. Toll nodded and got out of the car to round it and open the door for her.

"Ms. Kubin." Silva greeted her and they shook hands. Kate was quite taken aback by this sudden expression of civility, but she played along. Placing his hand on her back now, Silva guided her towards his men. Kate complied, not happy to leave Toll's side, but she had no other choice.

"I thought we had agreed that you would wire the money into my account by noon today."

He glanced at his watch. It was 01:00 PM. Then a man standing at Silva's SUV looked up from his laptop he'd set on top of the vehicle's hood. He rubbed thumb and forefinger together.

"What? You thought you wouldn't get it?" Kate asked with a cold smile.

"Never mind." Silva replied indifferently.

"I'd like to see my product now."

Silva snapped with his fingers and a second man of the eight man entourage he'd brought with him stepped forward with a suitcase handing it to Kate who was more than glad to walk back the short distance to Toll and handed him the case. He took in and set it on the hood of their car. He opened the lid of the case, took out the thumb drive to check it with his laptop. After a few moments he put it back into the case and closed it with a quick nod in Kate's direction.

Silva smiled viciously at her.

"It was nice making business with you…" Something in his voice immediately made Kate's hackles rise. "…Ms. _Evans_." Silva snarled and before she could even blink, he had drawn his gun and aimed at her.

The next events happened almost simultaneously.

Kate could see Silva's finger curve around the trigger when Toll pushed her aside, shielding her with his body. The shot rang through the air, hitting Toll directly in the head.

When her fellow Expendable dropped on the cold ground, a look of astonishment still visible in his now lifeless eyes, more bullets started flying at her. It took Kate only a split second to rise from her stiffness and the next thing she knew that she was crouched behind a vehicle. She barely dared to peer around the car, when a bullet hit the suitcase causing it to slide from the hood, landing next to her with a dull thump. She reached for it, fumbling the lid open and yanked the thumb drive out, storing it in her jacket. More shots rang through the air and her thoughts were spinning, searching for a way out. They were way too much to fight back, Barney and the rest of the team still five minutes out which left one alternative: running for the woods.

She was about to ready herself for the getaway, when she heard the sound of single shots being fired. Shots from a very familiar gun. One after one the enemy dropped dead on the ground and a grim smile emerged on her face.

"Kill them all, Billy." she muttered and got up. Hoping that he would understand her intentions and not accidently shoot her, she peered around the corner. The initially heavy fire began dying as Silva's men were.

Taking a deep shaky breath, Kate gathered all her courage and took off into the woods. She felt the bullets whizzing by her head, but she didn't look back nor did she turn to return fire. She just ran for her life.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Wow! Thank you SO MUCH for the great reviews! I was really unsure if I wanted to kill somebody of the team, but your words proved me right. And it really helped me developing the storyline. I hope you guys enjoy the next chapters as much as I do writing them! **

* * *

Kate didn't pay much attention where she was going. Trees and shrubs passed in a haze. She wanted just to bring as much space between herself and her attackers as possible. At some point the shooting stopped and she slowed down just enough to risk a look back. She couldn't see anybody but now, she heard the voices, yelling orders in Serbian. Their voices were muffled but they were certainly on her track.

Kate didn't stop, but she began to take in her surroundings more clearly. She had been running uphill which was a good thing considering the fact that Billy was somewhere up that ridgeline. But she had no clue where exactly to look for him. She recalled the shots he'd fired to protect her. They'd come from her two. She quickly orientated herself north and headed right to Billy's presumed position, still going uphill. The voices behind her were still loud and clear and Kate could tell that she wouldn't last long if she didn't put more distance between herself and them.

A few minutes later she was on top of the ridgeline but she couldn't see Billy or anybody of her team. The area on the other side of the ridgeline was covered with thick dark forests and Kate felt a sudden wave of desperation crashing over her. How on earth should she get out of this nightmare?

She was about to make her way further into the woods, when a gloved hand covered her mouth while another was restraining her arms from fighting back. She let out a muffled cry and was about to engage with the unknown attacker, but a familiar voice made her halt her movements.

"Shh, Kate. It's me. Billy." he whispered not loosening his grip as she struggled against it. He knew that she was still in fighting mode and would attack him the second he let her.

"Easy. Easy. I'm going to let go of you. You're not gonna scream are you?" he asked in a low voice, his lips close to her ear. She could feel his breath tickling on her skin. She shook her head, her heart thumping with adrenaline.

The gloved hand was removed from her mouth as the arm around her torso disappeared. She whirled around, her gun ready to fire, but instead she stared into the kind blue eyes of her friend. Relief washed over her like a warm wave. She lowered the gun almost instantly.

"Thank god, Billy…" she breathed and was wrapped into his arms once again; this time in a comforting protecting way.

"Kate…" he murmured and she could make out the trembling in his voice. He was as shocked as she was. Their embrace lasted only moments. Reluctantly, he brought some space between them eyeing her worried.

"Are you alright?"

She slowly nodded. It was really a miracle that she hadn't been hit by a bullet.

"And you?"

She gave him a scrutinizing look. He must have packed his things in a haze. The back pack was dangling from one of his shoulders, grass and leaves sticking to his clothes and sweat glistening on his forehead smudging and dissolving the camo on his face. He looked shaken but otherwise unharmed.

"Fine."

The voices of their pursuers came nearer.

"We need to get going." Billy stated, quickly adjusting his sniper rifle, grasping Kate's hand pulling her with him. And with that they took off into the woods of Novi Pazar.

* * *

Kate didn't know for how long they've been running tough the dense forests, but she could feel the exhaustion slowing her down. Every now and then they heard shots cracking and echoing through the forest, meaning that they still didn't have brought enough space between themselves and their pursuers. But at some point she just couldn't keep on running.

"Stop. Please, Billy. Stop." she panted and skidded to a halt, hands on her knees, her breath forming small white clouds.

Billy turned to her, seeing the exhaustion written all over her face.

"Sorry. I didn't realize that you were tired." he gasped and took a look around. They had been running downhill and the sun was slowly setting. They had to get out of this mess fast. He listened intently for a few moments, then deemed it safe to rest, at least for a few minutes. He pulled out his radio and tried to reach Barney.

"Ross, this is Billy. Come in."

Nothing.

"Ross, this is Billy. Come in."

Again, there was just silence.

"We need to get to higher ground to establish radio contact." Billy stated a little frustrated that their gear wasn't working properly. He stored the radio in his backpack and pulled out his map and checked the compass.

* * *

They walked westwards in silence for about half an hour, listening intently for any sign of help or Silva's men. When they reached a small plateau that provided them a good overview of the forest and the town of Novi Pazar southeast of them, Billy sat down and tried to radio their team again. This time the odds were in his favor. By the second call, Barney's voice came through the radio.

_"This is Ross, do you copy?"_

"Copy, Sir." Billy responded, switching instantly into military cant. "Hearing you loud and clear."

_"Are you alright, Kid?"_ Barney asked. _"Is Kate with you?"_

"Affirmative, Sir. We are fine, relatively speaking. And you?"

_"We're good. Heading back to the city now."_ There was a small pause. _"Stay calm, Kid. We will get you out of there. Where are you?"_

"Two clicks south of point alpha." Billy radioed him their location using the code words they'd set for specific landmarks. They were near the town. The sniper suggested heading back to the town, but Barney objected.

_"They'll probably await you. Do you have your map?"_

"Affirmative."

_"Can you make it to the lake southeast of you?"_

Billy and Kate quickly scanned the map then looked at each other thunderstruck.

"Sir, it's more than 25 miles away, direct route. Aren't there any other options?"

_"Negative. It will most likely be a hot extraction and this location is the only area we can approach by plane or helicopter."_

There was silence for a few moments in which the news truly sank in. 25 miles more likely 30 to 35 through hostile enemy territory, with no food or any gear in the middle of November. Desperation crashed over Kate and she couldn't stop herself but let her head drop on her knees. She was no coward and she would try her hardest, but she wasn't a fool either. They'd escaped Silva's men for now, but the odds that they would survive a getaway of this scope weren't exactly in their favor. Taking deep calming breaths she tried to steady herself, she suddenly felt Billy's warm hand on her back, rubbing gentle circles to rouse her from her stiffness.

"Hey, we will be fine. We'll get out of here, I promise." he said soothingly. She had no doubts that he would survive this. But could she do this?

The cracking sound of the radio roused her from her dark thoughts.

_"Kid, are you still there?"_

"Affirmative." Billy replied. "We are heading to the rally point. How long do you think will it take you to pick us up there?"

_"Two days at least. I'm sorry, Kid. You will be on your own."_

"We'll be fine, Sir."

_"Radio in your position every six hours so we'll know that you two are OK."_

"Roger that. Out." Billy was about to kill the connection when Barney's voice came over the radio once again.

_"Kid?"_

"Yeah?"

_"Take good care of her."_

Billy and Kate shared a confused look. Even though Kate had no idea how he could have known about them, she kind of got the feeling that Barney knew about Billy and her. And she could not help but blush. Av quick glance to Billy told her that he was having similar thoughts but instead of being embarrassed he shot her an amused smirk.

"Will do, Sir. Out."

_"Out."_

"I think Barney's right." Billy stated as he looked over the map once again. "They'll expect us to get back to the city. We steer clear of the routes leading to it and round the city taking this way." He handed her the map and traced the path he had suggested with his finger. "You OK with that?"

"Fine." Kate replied just glad that he was more level headed about the situation than she was.

* * *

They made their way through the woods, heading southwestwards; away from the city. Since they'd spoken with Barney, neither of them had heard their pursuers and they were both unsure whether this was a good or a bad sign.

During their walk, they kept quiet, each one on high alert for possible threats. While Billy was dressed in dark combat gear that kept the cold from him and was armed with his sniper rifle, Kate was just glad that she'd decided to go for a more functional outfit than she'd originally planned. Now, her solid boots and warm jacket were greatly appreciated. But she had neither gloves nor a cap and her small handgun wouldn't be of much use if somebody attacked them.

Dusk was approaching now and it had started to snow again. Temperatures were dropping as well and Kate could barely keep her teeth from shattering.

"We need some kind of shelter or we don't make it through the night." she said without looking to Billy.

"Yeah. But it has to be something with a second way out. It's too dangerous to just sleep in the middle of these goddamn forests." he replied, his voice tense.

Kate glanced around and tried to come up with a plan. They couldn't search for some kind of cave, it was too dangerous. Then an idea crossed her mind.

"What about a deerstand?"

Billy turned to look at her. They'd decided to go separately about 30 feet apart as they'd done it back in Afghanistan. Their chances to survive an attack were greater like this.

"A deerstand? I don't think this is the right time for one of your hunting lessons." he said with half a smile on his lips, but Kate just rolled her eyes impatiently.

"No, but we'll be hidden and have a good overview all the way around us at the same time. And in case of an attack we can make a quick exit by just jumping down. It's still better than sleeping on the ground." she shrugged.

"Maybe you're right." Billy slowly replied. To be honest, he didn't like being trapped on some deerstand but it was the best option they had right now.

It took them over an hour before they found a suitable deerstand. They'd passed a few but neither provided neither enough cover nor a good escape route. Finally they decided to take a medium sized one. It had a wooden roof and walls covered with camouflage nets. The ladder was in a bad shape, but they didn't mind.

Kate climbed the rungs first then reached out for the sniper rifle since it was too bulky to be carried upstairs. She secured it next to her and waited for Billy to get up.

"I'll be right there." he said and was out of her sight the next moment. Kate's heart started to pound, she didn't like being left alone. But seconds later his face appeared and he handed her a small bag.

"What's this?"

"Snow. We put it between us and when it melts we have at least something to drink." he said and sat down next to her.

"Billy Timmons, you take such good care of me." she chuckled what earned her a smile for the first time in what felt ages.

Billy positioned his rifle next to him. It was too long and heavy to be held the whole time, so he unfastened the scope and leaned comfortably against the wall scanning their environment. Finally, he lowered the scope and turned to Kate, giving her a long scrutinizing look. She was crouched together; her knees pressed to her body, her look unfocused and empty.

"You OK?" he asked a little worried.

"It should have been me. I should have seen it coming." she whispered barely keeping her tears at bay.

Billy's heart sank. During their getaway neither of them had time to process the latest events but with the adrenaline vanishing, the images came back.

"There was nothing you could do, Kate." he said sympathetically stretching out his arm. "Come here."

He pulled her close. Kate placed her head on his shoulder and immediately the tears were running down her face. She tried to blink them away, but they wouldn't stop. They sat together like this for a while, but Kate couldn't stop crying. Silent tears vanished in the black material of Billy's vest.

"It's all my fault." she sobbed quietly.

"Stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have known that it was a setup. Neither of us did. It was bad luck. And Toll saved your life."

"But it should've been me." Kate repeated faintly, unable to shut out the image of Toll being hit by the bullet and the look in his eyes. This look, the astonishment and the decisiveness had been burned into her brain and every time she closed her eyes to blink away the tears she could see it.

Billy gently placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look him into the eyes. When he spoke again his words were calm but intent.

"I mourn Toll as much as you do. He was my friend and he had my back. Always. But I am glad that it's you who's alive and breathing. And here with me." he said softly and brushed away her tears with his thumb. "As much as I mourn him, I couldn't stand losing you, Kate."

His voice was barely a whisper as bent down and kissed her ever so lovingly. Feeling his lips on hers, Kate knew he was right. Tragic the death of their friend was she felt that he needed her as much as she needed him. She was his life preserver as he was hers.

Their kiss broke after a few seconds. Still clinging to him tightly, she felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and the warmth of his body and it calmed her. Billy gave her a tiny smile and brushed away the last tear that had crept down her cheek.

"Get some rest, sweetheart. I'll take the first watch." Billy said kissing her hair and adjusted the rifle so it would be within reach in case he had to use it.

"Thanks." Kate said making herself comfortable next to him. Seconds later she fell into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

While Kate slept, Billy thought about their current situation. How on earth had their cover been blown? How did Silva know Kate's real name? He ragged his brain, replaying every scene from the club. He couldn't remember everything Kate and Silva had talked, but he would surely remember something that important.

While Kate had been with Silva, he had been occupied with the brunette. He'd stuck to his cover identity and the legend they'd created in case somebody would ask questions. He had not trained as hard as Kate when it came to do an undercover job, but he knew the business well enough to maintain his cover. He was certain that he'd not slipped up and Toll couldn't have been the weak spot. During the whole meeting he'd stood by the entrance of the VIP section, motionless and an impassive face, not talking at all. But something had blown their cover and Billy dared to know what it had been.

He kept glancing through his night vision goggles, feeling the warm body of Kate at his side. It was calming him that she was safe and with him, but her warmth and her familiar scent made him feel almost comfortable in his position. He pulled himself together as he felt his eyelids getting heavy. He had to keep it together. He had to stay awake. Taking in a deep breath he continued observing their surroundings, listening to Kate's even breathing as she slept by his side. But her sleep didn't last long.

"Billy…" she gasped as she woke with a start once again.

"Shh, it's alright." Billy soothed her, as he felt her grip tighten around his arm. It took her a few moments to take in her surroundings and become aware of the fact that there was no threat. Exhaling heavily she sank back against him, falling back into her uneasy slumber. But after a couple of hours she couldn't close her eyes anymore.

"I'll take over." she whispered with an exasperated sigh as she jumped with fright for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

In the darkness she could make out Billy nodding and passing her the night vision gear and the rifle while she handed him her gun. They'd silently decided not to take any chances and be armed all the time. She made herself comfortable and when everything was positioned within her reach, her hand searched for Billy to pull him close.

"I'm not going anywhere." he chuckled quietly while placing his head on her shoulder now. She didn't respond, but instead he felt her taking his hand, squeezing it tightly as if ensuring him that neither would she leave him.

Even though he was exhausted from their getaway, Billy didn't find rest as easily as Kate. Minutes passed before he fell into some kind of twilight sleep. It was an old habit he couldn't give up. Ever since he'd been deployed for the first time he used to sleep with one eye open and one finger on the trigger.

The hours passed uneventful. Kate kept glancing through the night vision goggles, but she didn't see a single soul. It wasn't until shortly before dawn, when something that she couldn't quite name set her on edge. Even though she could not nail down the source of it, the feeling grew bigger with every passing minute until she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Billy." she whispered. The sniper was instantly awake. "We need to move."

He shot her an alarmed look and peered over the edge of the deerstand. He couldn't see anything suspicious, but he trusted her instincts. Handing her the gun, Billy grasped his backpack and his sniper rifle and hurried down the steps to secure the perimeter. Kate was down next to him moments later. He quickly orientated himself; then they took off further south to their destination.


	12. Chapter 12

Making their way through the forests, Kate and Billy had fallen into a jog trot, Kate now having the backpack to carry because she didn't want Billy to get too exhausted by carrying both, the rifle and their gear.

The backpack with all the gear Billy had brought was heavy; about 30 pounds. But Kate was somehow glad about the slight pain in her shoulders caused by the shoulder straps. It reminded her that she'd survived their getaway from Silva's men so far. Her thoughts wandered to Toll and that he'd not been so lucky and a lump began to from in her throat. Before she could stop herself, tears were streaming down her face and she was glad that Billy was a few yards ahead unable to see her in that state.

She had been really touched by his kind words last night and they'd comforted her. He was right. It had been bad luck and she couldn't have done anything about it. But as much as she tried to drill it into her brain, she could not help but feel responsible for his death. Her thoughts still with their fallen comrade, she followed Billy who constantly checked his map and compass to keep them on track.

The snow had coated the ground with a thin white and their ragged breaths from running formed small white clouds in front of their faces. About one hour had passed since they'd left the deerstand when the forests suddenly cleared. They slowed down, approaching the clearing carefully.

"This wasn't on the map." Billy murmured as he took a closer look. An old abandoned factory hulked up in front of them. The pale morning cast an odd light onto the building creating a somewhat more hostile environment. Most of the windows were broken and the concrete crumbled from the walls. The factory was split into two building complexes about 50 feet apart from each other. On the other side of the yard they could make out a small gravel path vanishing in the green and grayish forests.

"Should we go round it?" Kate whispered closing the distance to Billy.

The sniper thought about it for a few seconds. Suddenly, they heard a noise behind them. Twigs were cracking, close. They weren't alone anymore. The two exchanged a look; then took off running for the factory.

They were about to enter the section between the two factory buildings when Kate caught sight of a reflection close to the ground.

"Stop!" she hollered and was just fast enough to get Billy to a halt in front of the thin rope only inches away from his ankle. "Trip wire." she gasped as her eyes rapidly scanned the space ahead of them.

Every few feet thin almost invisible lines crossed the area between the two buildings. This was a death trap. But before they could back off, voices and gunshots suddenly cracked through the air. Silva's men had caught up with them and there was only one way out. They had to go through the minefield.

Without thinking they started running. It was a tightrope act: moving as fast as possible without touching the wires. Meanwhile their pursuers had caught up with them; their voices had come very close. Kate dared risking a look over her shoulder and to her horror she saw the men running after them obviously not having seen the wires.

"They are going to trigger the explosives!" Kate yelled, but her last words where swallowed by the deafening noise of the IEDs going off. A loud series of bangs erupted behind them; the shock wave was triggering every explosive, approaching the two of them fast. Billy and Kate didn't care about the wires anymore, they took off, arms up to protect their heads from the debris flying around. But they weren't fast enough. The explosions came nearer and nearer and with the last shockwave, their feet lost contact to the ground and they were thrown through the cold winter air.

* * *

Kate didn't know how long she'd been out, but she found herself lying on the ground. Her ears were ringing and she was dizzy. Slowly she raised her head and tried to move. Everything was happening as if in slow motion but she seemed to be alright- for now.

"Kate! Kate! Are you alright?"

Someone was calling her name, but the voice was muffled and distant and didn't really get through the deafening ring in her ears. She turned, searching for the source of the voice. Suddenly, Billy's face appeared in front of her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, worry written all over his face.

It took her several moments to realize what had just happened. Then she felt pain. It was the throbbing kind that resulted from an abrupt descent and the debris that had hit her. But it was not too bad after all. She took Billy's hand and got to her feet.

"No, I'm good." Kate all but groaned. Her entire body was aching. Quickly, she felt for her pocket. The small shape of the thumb drive appeared under her fingertips. At least they'd saved the software; for now. She glanced to her friend.

"Are you OK?"

Billy nodded, but he was pale. The shock was clearly visible in his eyes. It was not the first IED explosion he'd experienced but he'd never been this close. Memories of his deployments, injured comrades and the devastation flashed into his mind, but he quickly shut them out. He needed to keep it together; for his and for Kate's sake.

He quickly scanned their gear. The backpack had a few scratches, but was intact. His rifle lay a few feet from him, he'd lost grip when the detonation had catapulted him through the air.

He bent down to pick it up and examined it.

"Fuck!"

"What happened?" Kate asked perturbed by his tone.

With two quick steps she was next to him. Then she saw what he'd meant. The muzzle of his rifle was bent and the bolt carrier stood out in an odd angle. The shock wave and the debris had destroyed his weapon completely.

"Let's see if we can use any of the other's weapons." Kate said nodding in the direction of Silva's men. She was the only one to carry a weapon now and so it was only natural for her to search the strangers for any weapons. "Stay behind me." she ordered and pulled her gun out of her back waistband.

But Billy stopped her as she was about move.

"I don't like it." he said feeling a strong protective instinct arise. Images of her lying in his arms only two days ago flashed through his mind. She'd told him about being scared of Silva and now they were on the run in the middle of some god forsaken Serbian forest. Letting her go in alone seemed like a bad idea to him. But his words went unheeded.

"I can do this." Kate said decisively and turned around. "Take cover; just in case."

She raised her gun and slowly made her way to back across the yard. Billy watched her move smoothly from cover to cover. He knew that she wanted to prove herself, even before him where she needed it the less. And it worked. He could not help himself but be impressed by the calm routine she was radiating even in this situation. Less than a few hours ago, she'd been mourning the loss of their team mate and friend and now she was doing her job with seeming ease. The past night seemed ages ago.

The first body Kate approached was unarmed as well as the second one. But she'd expected them to be. She hoped that the men who'd been standing at the edge of the forest were dead but their weapons intact. She'd almost reached the end of the yard, when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Without hesitation she turned and fired. The enemy's body slumped down, a pistol falling from his hand.

"Kate!" Billy hollered and was about to take off into her direction, but she stopped him with one hand, the other with her gun still pointed at the figure on the ground.

"I'm good! Stay back!" she called without looking to him.

She approached the body with pounding heart and kicked the gun from his lifeless hand. Checking for his pulse first, to make sure that he was really dead, she bent down to pick up the gun. It seemed to be undamaged and in a good constitution. She put it in her pocket and started to check the man for ammunition. The odds were in her favor and she found two full clips.

She turned and headed for the fourth body. He had been carrying an AK-47 which was still intact. At the fifth body she found two appendant clips. She made sure that none of the men was still breathing then she turned and headed back to Billy.

"Are you alright?" he asked worried as she approached him. He'd seen the man lifting his arm but before he could shout a warning to Kate, she'd shot the guy. And he was glad that her reflexes were that good.

"I'm OK." she gave him a tiny smile.

"Good shot." he said approvingly.

"Learned from the best." she replied with a grin as she handed him the weapons and ammunition. "Here. Better than nothing."

The sniper eyed the weapons critically, shoving the gun into his waistband and loading the rifle. His old sniper rifle had to be left here, since it was too heavy to be carried with them anymore. With one last look to his old broken rifle, Billy turned around to Kate who was about to move on.

"God, I'm gonna miss Molly." he deadpanned.

It took her a few seconds to process his words. She shot him a disbelieving look.

"Don't tell me you named your rifle." she asked and burst into a fit of laughter the next moment.

"That's not funny." Billy stated with mock offense, but a sheepish grin crept upon his lips as well.

"We should get going." Kate said still giggling as she picked up the backpack. She shot her friend teasing glances every now and then, still amused about the fact that he'd given his rifle a name. She didn't know why, but she couldn't control herself. This banality had temporarily taken the tension and the fear away from them. They walked side by side for a while, but still Kate would giggle every now and then about his confession.

"You need to cool down." Billy stated with a fake stern expression.

"This coming from a guy who names his gun after the Weasley's mother from the Harry Potter books?"

He looked at her in disbelief. "I named her after Molly Millions - an assassin in William Gibson's _Neuromancer_." he stated firmly awaiting her reaction.

"Yeah, sure." Kate just smirked.

"Yes, indeed. Anyways, you're gonna pay for the Harry Potter comment." Billy growled and the next thing Kate knew was that a handful of snow was shoved in her face.

She squealed and jumped to avoid the cold material, but Billy didn't miss his mark. A second wave made Kate cough, the melting snow dripping from her hair and face as she shook her head to get rid of it.

"For two people being hunted by a Serbian hit squad we are not very serious." Kate laughed as she brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face.

"You started it." Billy replied.

"No, you did. By telling me…"

"Oh, here we go again?" he exhaled heavily and was about to reach for another handful of snow but Kate got hold of his arm.

"Fine, I surrender. I'll get the cold of my life if I get any wetter." she groaned, but not without shooting him a last teasing grin. Billy sighed in mock disappointment and continued to follow her through the woods.

* * *

Over the next hours they made a fair way to their destination without being attacked or seeing a single soul. When it was time, Billy radioed their position to Barney. The Expendables hadn't come up with a definite extraction plan yet, so they had to stay out of sight for at least 24 hours. Billy confirmed and they continued their way southwards.

Noon passed and their way through the monotone woods of Novi Pazar was uneventful and quiet. The sun was slowly setting when they decided to take a short break. Neither of them had eaten since before the meeting.

Now, Kate watched Billy rummage through the depths of his backpack, pulling out two MREs.

"For how long has that been in there?" she asked as she critically eyed the bag he'd passed her. Billy shrugged.

"I'd say since I left Afghanistan so this would be more than a year… hey relax!" he laughed as he caught her expression. "I put it in before I left the safe house. It's fine."

"Thanks." she said with a mocking smile and opened the package. She hadn't eaten an MRE since she'd quit the service, but even though she'd cursed the food back then as every soldier had, she was now grateful for the familiar taste. Somehow, it gave her courage and faith that they would stand this through.

They sat down and ate their meals in silence. The food was lifting their mood instantly and Kate began to feel her strength coming back. The lack of sleep and the constant alertness had cost her a lot of energy and by one look to Billy she could tell that he was feeling the same way.

"I don't get it." the sniper spoke with his mouth full.

"Get what?"

"How they've tracked us. We had miles of a head start on them, we manage to get through the night without being detected and suddenly they are right behind us? How did they do that?"

Kate turned to him in astonishment. He was right. He was absolutely right with his observation. Until now she hadn't thought about it, her mind too occupied with other things, but it was indeed surprising how Silva's men had managed to track them down.

"Dunno." she mumbled, her head working overtime now.

"Can you think of something, anything out of the ordinary?" Billy tried to jog her memory. Kate turned to him with a mocking snort.

"Besides Silva being a psychopath?"

That earned her a grin in reply.

She went through everything that had happened but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't come up with a solution.

"No, I don't think so." she finally replied, a little frustrated.

"Well, then we have to be really careful." Billy said while he stored their empty food packages in his backpack. Kate nodded in agreement. She'd never made the mistake of underestimating Rafael Silva, but this was a whole new level they had to go up against.


	13. Chapter 13

They finished their meal and continued their march. Dusk was approaching but they'd decided to walk as far as possible for today. While making their way through the dense forests, they kept looking over their shoulders more frequently than they'd done it before. Every noise made them yank up their weapons and take cover behind a tree so it was an exhausting and slow progress to get to their rally point.

While Billy had the lead, Kate kept watching their six. It was not an easy task, because she was afraid to overlook things, but Billy had encouraged her to do it. She was more familiar with the woods and would be more able to distinguish between a real threat and just an animal wandering by. They could not risk firing at something harmless and revealing their position.

Climbing down a ridgeline, they found themselves that the edge of a clearing once more. Kate still had vivid memories from their last encounter with a clearing and thought that it couldn't get any worse, when she was proven wrong.

Ahead of them was a grassy space rounded with shrubs and bushes. In its middle lay the remains of an old helicopter which looked like it had crashed down here in the Soviet era. But it was not the sight of the aircraft that scared her; it was the expression on Billy's face. He had gone completely stock-still and was the palest she'd ever seen him.

"Billy?" she reached out for his arm.

As soon as her fingers touched him, he grasped her wrist, a look of defiance and alarm in his eyes.

"Let go!" he yelled. "I'm not afraid of you! I'm not!"

"Billy, it's me, Kate!" she exclaimed, taken by complete surprise of his outburst. But he would continue his rant against her.

"I'm not afraid of you!"

Pushing her back, she stumbled a few steps. It took her a few moments to process what was happening. He was having a flashback, most probably of some previous mission. But she had no time to recollect which mission this could have been, because she heard something different from her friend's voice. Yelling, alien voices, shots being fired; their pursuers had found them once more.

"Billy, we need to get out of here!" she urged him, approaching him cautiously. The sniper had also noticed that they weren't alone anymore. Suddenly, he seemed to have realized what had happened. The somewhat insane look in his eyes was now replaced by bloodcurdling fear.

"Kate…" he whimpered, sinking to his knees while clutching his head.

With two steps she was next to him, taking him by his shoulders.

"Billy, talk to me. What happened?" she urged him, the voices of their enemies coming closer and closer.

"The helicopter… Vilain…" he was not able to tell her, but it was enough for Kate to understand.

"We need to get out of here. Get up."

"No. I can't."

"Billy, goddamn it!"

"I can't... I can't move."

It broke her heart so see him that lost. But she had to do something or they would be dead in a matter of seconds. She put her gun in her back waistband, quickly glancing around to scan the area and estimate how much time they had left.

Feeling panic arise, Kate watched her friend still kneeling on the ground while the noise came closer and closer. Seeing Billy that helpless and vulnerable was hard for her. He'd always been the one to show no fear, to be strong and protective. But now it was her term to protect him from whatever daemons were hunting him.

"Get up." she said, taking his hands, pulling him up with her. He could barely keep himself up on his feet, so she laid his arm around her shoulders to support him. With unsteady steps they approached the remains of the helicopter.

"We cannot go in there. It's a trap." Billy gasped as he realized what she was doing.

"Silva's men are coming and we need cover to fight them off. This is the best place we've got."

But Billy was snapping back into his memories.

"It's a trap… Vilain and his men are coming."

"No, they belong to Silva and we will fight them off!" Kate stated as confident as she could. As soon as he had mentioned the name Vilain the thing had been clear for Kate. She didn't know the details of that mission, but as far as she remembered Lee's explanations they'd been up against somebody named Vilain. The mission had gone south resulting in the capture of Billy and him being severely wounded. The scars she'd seen the night before their departure appeared in front of her eyes just emphasizing how serious this had been. And now she understood why Billy was having this kind of breakdown. Billy Timmons, a man she'd never seen to show fear. A person who always seemed at ease with himself, composed and calm even under pressure, was standing next to her unable to defend himself, paralyzed by the sheer memories of what had happened to him.

They reached the helicopter and Kate helped Billy get inside. It was an old aircraft used for transportation so they had plenty of space to move. Once inside the sniper sank down against one of the walls. Kate was about to wonder how much time they had left before their pursuers would be at sight when shots were fired at them. The clanking sound of metal hitting metal rang in their ears, making them duck their heads immediately. The outer wall of the aircraft was hit, but the armor shielded them from the bullets.

Deciding that she could not rely on Billy to have her back right now, Kate weighted her options. Quickly, she checked her gun and remaining ammo; then she knelt down in front of Billy taking his face into her hands.

"Billy, listen to me." she locked eyes with him "You're going to stay here. Don't move and keep your head down until I tell you it's safe to come out. Do you understand me?" she urged him to hold her gaze.

"You can't go. It's a trap…" he said weakly, his eyes filled with horror. His hand reached for her in a weak attempt to stall her, but she cast off his hand. She had not come so far just to surrender herself to people like Rafael Silva, nor would she let them get to Billy. Images of interrogations where one prisoner was used to squeeze out information out of the other flashed before her eyes, but she forbade herself to pursue that thought. They would get out of this mess or die trying.

"We'll be fine. I will take care of them." _or let's hope so_, she added silently. "Stay put."

He nodded faintly as he let go of her. Then she turned around and raised her gun peering out of helicopter's door.

Twelve men were approaching the clearing, all armed with rifles. By the shots and voices she'd expected at least twice as many, but even this number was a huge task to stand up to. She waited until they'd come within shooting range; then she fired, taking down four of them immediately before she had to take cover from the enemy fire. Luckily the bullets didn't go through the armor of the aircraft, but now they knew her position.

"Stay here, keep your gun ready." she whispered with one last look to Billy and vanished through the rear exit of the aircraft rounding it unseen.

More shots rang through the air and two of Silva's men were dead as well. She changed her clip and was about to round the corner of the helicopter to engage with the next enemy, when one of Silva's men appeared in front of her. To Kate's surprise, he did not have a weapon and without hesitation, she rushed forward and attacked the stranger. But he did see it coming and engaged her as well. Her gun was knocked from her hand that hard she couldn't suppress a scream as the pain rushed through her wrist. But she didn't waste any time and fought back. They landed on the ground, fighting relentless, Kate praying that the other attackers would not look into the helicopter's body and find Billy. Eventually, she was able to overpower her attacker and came within reach of her gun. She lunged for it and fired, killing the seventh of their pursuers. Making sure that he was dead, she came to her feet and took cover, looking for the remaining enemies. The gunfire didn't cease causing Kate's faith to drop. She would not stay a chance against five men with semi-automatics while she had only one clip left. She peered around the corner and fired her last shots, but missed.

She reached for her knife in her ankle strap and sneaked to the stranger closest to the helicopter's entrance. He was about to enter the aircraft and Kate ready to strike, when shots rang through the air and the enemy fell backwards onto the ground. Kate held her breath and listened intently. It took all her self-control not to call for Billy, but she had no idea if it had been him who'd killed the enemy or not. She had to remain silent until she knew for sure.

Meanwhile, the attackers had become more careful and only by the muffled sound of footsteps in her proximity she could tell that they were repositioning themselves. She decided to use the short break for her advantage and crept up on the stranger closest to her position. She knew that she could not kill him by just stabbing him, but he would most probably scream and this would reveal her position. Instead she enclosed as silently as possible; then she shot forwards, taking the man into headlock, her arm closing tightly around his throat. They struggled for a few seconds before she felt his body go limp in her arms. She let him down silently and was about to continue her way, when gunshots were exchanged.

It took her a few seconds to register that it came from two sides. At first she thought to be taken into crossfire, but not a single shot came within her proximity. Now, she was almost certain. It must have been Billy who had shot back.

She was about to make her way back to him, when she was attacked from behind. She fought the attacker, but he was much stronger than her. It was a relentless fight and Kate wasn't sure if she would survive it, but all she could think about was Billy. Was he OK? Had he recovered from whatever flashback he'd experienced? More gunshots rang through the air and out of the corner of her eyes Kate could see two more men drop dead on the floor. Was this Billy firing back? Or was somebody else helping them?

The distraction lasted only nanoseconds, but it was enough for Kate's opponent to gain the upper hand. With one swift move he had her thrown to the ground, the impact knocking the air out of her lungs. She lost grasp of her knife which her attacker had in his hands immediately, leaping forwards to stab her. Instinctively, she raised her arms, getting hold of his hands, the blade only inches from her chest. They struggled until the stranger lost his balance. Sliding of her body, the blade made contact with her arm opening a deep cut.

Kate screamed in pain, unable to move her arm and could only watch as her attacker got back onto his knees, the weapon ready to kill her when a single shot rang through the air. Her attacker slumped down, eyes open and locked with her.

Kate could not breathe, she could not move. All she knew was that the enemy was dead. That she was safe. She slowly raised her head and found Billy standing only feet away, his gun at the ready.

"Billy…" she said incredulously.

Her voice roused him from the stiffness. He lowered the gun and closed the distance between them with a few steps. Falling down onto his knees, he reached for her, pulling her into a sitting position. She wailed as she tried to move her arm.

"Kate, are you OK?"

She took a few seconds to answer. The cut was bleeding and hurting, but it seemed to be not that bad. He didn't need to know; at least not yet, so she shook her head yes despite her injury.

"Are you alright?" she asked, tentatively looking into his eyes.

He nodded, but reciprocating her look, Billy's heart dove. This unique woman, looking pale but otherwise unharmed had been on the verge of dying, only because he hadn't kept it together. He couldn't remember what had happened, but when he came back to his senses, he had heard her screaming. And it was all he needed to snap back to reality. But now, the relief that she was fine mingled with shame and anger.

"Kate, I am so sorry..." he was about to apologize, but she cut him off immediately.

"Stop it. Please, Billy, stop. I'm fine… we're fine and nothing else matters." she said softly, still a little out of breath. She didn't want him to worry about this. It was in the past and they had to keep focused on more pressing things. But it was not enough to calm the sniper.

"The helicopter, Vilain attacking me… it all came back seeing this place." he said, his voice shaky and incredibly vulnerable. "I am so sorry I didn't have your back."

"You saved my life, Billy Timmons. So don't you dare saying that." she exclaimed fiercely. She'd fought Silva's men and when she wasn't able to he'd stepped in. That was it. They were even.

Her anger and her determination caused a little smile to emerge on Billy's face. Looking down at Kate, her still sitting on the ground, hair tousled and a small cut on her eyebrow bleeding, he knew that he wasn't going to win this fight. She would probably kick his ass if he insisted on his point of view, regardless whether it was right or wrong. Standing up for the ones who couldn't fight for themselves was one of the main principles of soldiers and she'd never stopped believing in that. In her heart she still was a warrior and he could see it in each and every one of her actions.

He pulled her into an embrace, his arms wrapping around her slender body protectively. She rested her head on his shoulder and could feel that he was still as shaken from the past minutes as she was.

"Are you sure, you are OK?" he asked as he dissolved their embrace, helping her onto her feet.

"Yeah. Why?" she asked.

"You felt cold." he said eying her worried.

"That's because it's freezing here and I've been sitting on the ground with you." she replied with half a smile. "Let's get out of here."

The sniper nodded and Kate followed him, away from the scene that way lying behind them. But Billy had been right. Ever since she'd been stabbed by her attacker, she felt cold. She knew it was probably from the blood loss and the adrenaline vanishing from her system, but she'd not expected to feel the effects that quickly. Calming herself that it was probably due to the contact with the frozen ground, she hoped that she would warm up while walking towards their rally point.

* * *

As time passed and they kept walking through the woods of Novi Pazar, Kate's strengths faded quickly. Her steps became unsteady causing her to trip more often and she was sweating and freezing at the same time.

Billy, who'd switched to walk next to her instead of a few steps ahead, noticed her changed condition, but every time he would ask her if she was OK, all he would get was an impatient nod. When she tripped for the umpteenth time he got hold of her arm, preventing her from falling.

"Kate, if you feel tired you have to tell me." he urged her, turning her to face him. Now he realized how pale she was. He scrutinized her intently, but she held his gaze wordlessly. His eyes wandered downwards suddenly glued to a spot next to her. A small red spot had formed next to her right foot and as he looked up, drop after drop was dripping from her hand onto the snowy ground.

"What the…" he gasped, gently taking her arm, turning it towards him. Through her black clothes, he hadn't seen her injury first but now he could make out a cut, probably 8 inches long all the way down her arm, the black fabric of her jacket glistening with dark liquid.

"I'm fine." she mumbled, but her pale face proved her a liar.

"Why haven't you told me?" he asked, gently pushing her down to sit.

"I didn't want you to worry."

She leaned against a tree as she watched Billy rummaging through his backpack pulling out a field dressing to press it against the wound.

"I thought this was actually my job." she said with a faint smile, watching him work swiftly.

"Not today, dear." he replied with half a smirk, then he returned serious again.

While bandaging her arm, Billy could see the exhaustion radiating from her. It had been almost an hour since the attack and she must have lost a lot of blood. With the dropping temperatures and night approaching fast again, he had to get them out of this nightmare fast. Still worrying about her condition, he finished treating her arm and helped her onto her feet.

While sliding an arm around her waist to pull her up, he shifted her slightly and his gaze fell on the collar of her jacket. Something was glistening there. First he thought it was a button, but the reflection was at the underside and too far away from the button border or the zipper.

He dissolved his arm from her and turned her so he could get a closer look at it. When he realized what he'd found, his breath caught in his throat.

"Oh, shit."

"What?" Kate gazed up to him as he fumbled with her clothing. After a few seconds he was done and when he opened his hand to show her what he'd found, Kate held her breath. Lying in Billy's hand was a small tracking device. A red light was shining from one of the edges indicating that it was still active. Now, the whole thing how Silva's men had been able to follow them made finally made sense.

"Son of a bitch." Kate mumbled as she took the device from Billy's hand, turning it in her fingers. "He had put it on me during the meeting."

Billy turned to her.

"But you've worn something…"

"Not that meeting." Kate cut him off with half a smile. She knew Billy would only remember one particular outfit so she clarified: "When we arrived here yesterday. Remember, he shook my hand and walked me over to his men. He had his hand on my back and somehow he must have slipped it under the collar."

That seemed local to Billy, but there was something not fitting into the picture.

"But then he had you bugged, why did he not find us until we reached the factory?"

"Radio problems?" Kate suggested. They hadn't been able to reach Barney either and maybe Silva had similar problems with the tracker. But it didn't really matter for her. The only important thing was that they had found the device. She threw it on the ground and stepped on it, destroying the bug with her heel.

"Let's get going." she stated with more confidence she was actually feeling. The discovery had temporarily taken her mind of her injury, but the dull throbbing in her arm reminded her of what had just happened. She looked to Billy who nodded and took the lead once again.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: This chapter is more a less a filler I needed to get where I wanted. Next time, we are back with the action! Thanks a lot for all the old and new favs/follows. You guys are awesome! XOXO**

* * *

But they didn't make it very far.

After he had treated her arm, Billy was carrying the backpack again, but even with that her condition didn't improve. Kate's face became paler and paler and sweat was glistening on her forehead as she clutched her arm, walking behind him.

While the sniper kept watching their surroundings, Kate tried to do her best as well, but she couldn't focus. The throbbing pain in her arm was making it hard to concentrate on her task and the exhaustion kicking in more forceful was slowing her down as well. While they walked in silence, she became more and more desperate about their situation. They'd found the tracker Silva had placed on her, but he knew the direction in which they were heading and by that he most likely knew their destination.

At some point Kate was so exhausted she just couldn't go on anymore. Initially, she had intended just to rest for a few moments, but when she wanted to follow Billy she just couldn't move. Billy saw that she'd stopped and with one look in her eyes, he knew what was going on. He'd seen this look countless times with his comrades back in the Army. They were on the verge of breaking down but still too proud to ask for help. With one step he was next to her. Wordless, he slid his arm around her waist to support her weight. She leaned onto him and they continued for a while longer. But she was barely able to hold up on her feet.

"Do we have to move?" Kate asked, her voice somewhat slurred and Billy knew her well enough to realize that she was in a far worse shape than he'd assumed considering the fact that she was accepting his help without hesitation. He looked down to her and felt a strong protective instinct arise. She'd fought for him when he wasn't able to and now he would to all in his power to bring her home safely.

"At least until we find something suitable for the night." he said soothingly and tightened his grip around her small frame. "Come on."

Slowly, they made their way through the forests, stopping every now and then for Kate to rest. But with every footstep, Billy could see that he was doing her no good if he continued dragging her along with him.

Remembering their sleeping place from last night, he kept looking for deerstands and after a couple of minutes he'd spotted one similar to their previous. Helping her up the ladder, he followed her, making himself comfortable on the wooden floor.

When he was seated, he glanced to Kate who was leaning against the wooden wall. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. The bandage on her arm was soaked with blood and Billy considered changing the bandage for a tighter one. But with the blood supply to her hand cut off like this and the low temperatures he would most likely risk frostbite at her hand. So he decided against it and hoped that resting would help to stop the bleeding.

He felt for her forehead just to find it cold. It was a good sign, no fever to make her condition even worse. But as he reached for her hands and forearms to feel the temperature his momentarily relief faded. They were ice-cold. She was about to become hypothermic. He'd hoped that he could just let her sleep and regain a bit of strength but in a condition like hers she would most likely fall unconscious.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. He opened his backpack and after a few seconds he pulled out what he'd been searching for. Unfolding the sniper covers he'd used while observing the meeting with Silva, he wrapped them around Kate and himself, pulling her as close to him as possible. Even though he didn't like being constrained from a quick getaway in case they had to flee, it was the best he could come up with to improve her condition. The covers were not thick but shielded them from the cold and kept the warmth between them. It was not much to warm her, but considering her blood loss and her weak state it could mean the difference between life and death.

"Get some rest." he said, as he placed his vest next to them, opening his jacket to get her closer to his body.

"You're going to get a cold." she mumbled, her eyelids already shut, but her hands finding their way around his waist. He sucked in a sharp breath as her ice-cold fingers touched the skin under his shirt. Hopefully, it would help her to get better. He adjusted their position into a more comfortable one for her and wrapped the covers around them, placing a quick peck on her forehead.

"I'll be fine. Just making sure that you recover."

"Hmm…" she hummed as she drifted off to sleep and just as Billy was sure that she was asleep she spoke once more.

"Billy?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Now get some rest." he breathed against her hair as he continued watching their surroundings. She would be safe tonight. He would make sure of it.

* * *

Time passed without anything to happen. The woods of Novi Pazar remained silent except for the faint whistling of wind in the trees. Every now and then Kate whimpered, obviously having had a bad dream but unable to snap out of it, and Billy tried his best to soothe her until she fell back into a deep sound sleep.

Watching their surroundings with the night vision gear, he could not see or hear a single soul. The constant fear that he was overlooking anything harmful to them was his companion for the time he sat there and he caught himself wishing that Kate would take over that part. His thoughts wandered back to the day of their hunting trip and her skills when tracking down the deer. Effortless, she'd spotted the stack and showed him where to go to have the best position to kill it.

Her hands suddenly tightened around his waist, fingernails digging into his skin, but not uncomfortably. It was the kind of grip to ensure that the person next to oneself was still there. A smile crept onto his features as he heard a small sigh escape her lips and while looking down to the woman nestled to his side, he became aware of their somewhat intimate position.

It was quite a contrast: running from and fighting off Silva's men in daylight and snuggled together by night. When they'd come to their senses after the IED explosion, they'd been concerned about each other's wellbeing, but they'd switched seamlessly into partner-mode when she had been frisking Silva's men for functioning weapons. They had each other's back in a way he not experienced in the Army or anywhere else. He had trusted his team mates blindly, it was out of the question, but the way he and Kate worked together was a completely different one. They acted in sync without even needing to speak a single word. And Billy was genuinely grateful for this rare gift.

The hours ticked by slowly. While Kate had been alarmingly cold when they'd settled down for the night, Billy could now feel her strong and steady heartbeat and her hands warming up. He silently smiled as she almost visibly gained back her strengths. It would take her some time to cope with the blood loss and the injury he had no idea how severe it was, but she was already recovering and it increased their chances to get out of this nightmare.

Shortly after 3:00 AM, Kate woke again, but this time she didn't fall back into sleep. Instead she insisted to take over the rest of the watch. Even though he was tired, Billy didn't like her wasting the precious time she got left to rest and recover. But he was tilting at windmills.

"I've slept enough." she urged him in a low voice.

"You need to rest." he replied, still glancing through his night vision goggles.

"And what good is it gonna do if you can't keep it together because you are too tired?" she whispered back reaching for the night vision gear. Then her fingers broke contact with his skin he missed the touch instantly, but handed over the item with a small laugh about her decisiveness.

"Fine, but you wake me if you feel tired."

"Of course."

He sighed and placed his head against the back wall, allowing Kate to stay close to him still. He was about to close his eyes in order to relax his eyes from the constant staring, when he felt the change in her breathing. It was kind of ragged and it took him a few moments to register that she was trying not to cry.

"Hey…" he said, reaching for her, pulling her close. She resisted at first but after another gentle tug at her waist he had her close to him again. He could feel the slight tremble in her body as he stroke back her hair.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly.

"For what?" he asked genuinely astonished.

"For being so weak. I am slowing you down and I…"

"Stop it." Billy said firmly, his hand finding her cheek in the darkness, pulling her close to him. He knew the moment would come that even a fighter like Kate would break under the pressure. But they'd come so far and he was not letting her beat herself up like this. She needed to stay focused, she needed motivation.

"You are strong, Kate. Don't you ever question that, you hear me? I never would have imagined that we would come so far and it's mainly because of you. You sensed Silva's men coming yesterday morning, you saw the trip wire and you fought them when I couldn't." His thoughts wandered to last night and their situation very similar to their current. "How the hell did you even know that they were close?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know…" Kate mumbled, still speechless about the kindness of his words. She thought about his question for a while; then it hit her. "Birds… I couldn't her them. Animals tent to leave the area when men are around. I guess that's how I knew they were close."

"See." Billy chuckled softly. "I'd be dead by now if I hadn't you and your bat ears with me."

Kate smiled against his chest as she settled for her watch.

"Thanks." she whispered.

Even though she could not make out his features, she knew he was smiling as he bit her good night. Adjusting the night vision goggles, she felt him making himself comfortable for his nap. She took a deep breath as she thought about his words. He always seemed to find the right things to raise her spirits. And while feeling Billy's reassuring presence next to her, she took over the second part of the night watch.


	15. Chapter 15

The night passed without any further interruptions. By dawn, Kate woke Billy and they continued their way to the lake. After checking on her arm and renewing the bandage, they marched side by side through the cold. Taking a slower pace for Kate, they made it to the edge of the lake by noon.

While she'd felt a little better after her almost unconsciousness-like sleep and Billy's soothing words, the dark thoughts about their situation were back as they had travelled the remaining distance to their destination. Silva's men would be here, she would bet anything on it. And even though she knew what was coming, she had no idea what to do against it. It would be the endgame. One would walk away alive while the other wouldn't.

They settled on top of a rock formation providing a good overview over the lake. They'd circled the place for a while to make sure that they hadn't been followed. But remembering the past hours they wouldn't give too much about it. Twice Billy tried to reach Barney, but he failed. After another frustrating try, he put the radio aside and scanned their surroundings. The lake was lying quietly, almost peacefully in front of them. They sat in silence for about half an hour, Billy looking at the forests behind them while Kate was staring at the lake. They didn't need to look at each other to communicate, both were thinking the same.

The last minutes in the field were always the most dangerous. One tended to think about home, family, friends and with a mind not one hundred percent focused on the mission, mistakes happened fast. Billy remembered a common saying among soldiers: You don't think about home until you are at home. Returning to the here and now, he looked to Kate who was sitting next to him.

"How are you holding up?" he asked tentatively.

_Yeah, how am I holding up?_ Kate asked herself, looking at her bandaged arm. It was throbbing with pain but nothing she couldn't handle. But the long hours without enough water to drink, the lack of food and sleep added up to the blood loss she'd suffered made her feel exhausted in a way she'd never experienced before. Her eyes were still glued to the white fabric as her thoughts wandered to Toll. She had been dreaming about his death last night but she had been too exhausted to snap out of the nightmare. It frightened her that she hadn't been able to control it and she wondered how long it would take her to ultimately lose it. She was afraid that she would slip up and make a mistake. That this one mistake would involve Billy and get him injured even possibly killed. It was terrifying her.

"Kate?"

She raised her head wearily to answer him.

"Good." she said, but rolled her eyes as she saw his scrutinizing look. "I'm OK." she corrected and watched him reach for the radio once more. This time the gear worked. After a few seconds the connection was set and she could Barney's voice over the radio. It was an odd thing to hear a familiar voice rather than Billy's or the threatening yells of Silva's men.

Listening to Billy and his boss it became clear that the Expendables were on their way. They had managed to get hold of a helicopter and they intended to pick them up at the lake. Due to problems with the radio frequency they hadn't been able to communicate earlier, but it didn't matter anymore. They would be safe soon. Barney explained the plan to the pair and instructed them where to wait for the extraction.

"As soon as they get close, Silva's men will know our location. So we have to get to the helicopter as fast as possible." Billy stated the obvious as he stored the radio in his backpack. Kate nodded thoughtfully.

"What's on your mind?"

The young woman kept looking down to the lake's edge. The surface was sparkling in the pale sunlight and the small waves that bobbed against the rocks were grey as steel. From their point of view they could see the other side of the bay and Kate absentmindedly calculated the distance from one side to the other. It was far too large to swim through it, but within reach of a sniper rifle. The Expendables' leader had picked the only free space between the dense forests and the water. With no cover they would be an easy target. And as that realization bubbled up into her brain, a plan began to form in Kate's head.

"I am thinking about splitting…" she started slowly but Billy cut her speech with a wink of his hand.

"No."

"But we would gain an advantage. If Silva's men see just one of us the other can get a chance to take them out." she explained as calm as possible. She knew she wouldn't be able to run as fast as Billy nor was she willing to take the risk that somebody hidden at the other side of the water or in the forests behind them would shoot him while he made his way to the helicopter.

"No, this is not up for discussion!" the sniper said resolutely.

Kate was about to interject when she heard the dull thump of an aircraft approaching. Almost at the same time, voices echoed through the forest; not far away from them. Having no more time left to persuade Billy, she decided to do her own thing whether he liked it or not.

"God, how many men has this guy?" she groaned as she jumped to her feet and ran after Billy, down the hill to the lake's edge.

They had almost reached the edge of the forest, when a helicopter appeared over the treetops on the opposite side of the lake. It lost altitude as it approached them. While Billy cleared a path through the dense shrubs what covered the forest's border, Kate glanced over her shoulder repeatedly. She could see Silva's men moving through the trees, but they hadn't spotted them yet. She slowed down a little but Billy noticed it instantly.

"Come on." he urged her as she slowed down in order to get a better look at the number of men pursuing them.

Reluctantly, she turned and followed him through the shrubs, standing on a gravel riverbed only 150 feet away from the water.

The helicopter lost more altitude and Kate could make out Hale and Gunnar, both armed with heavy rifles, ready to provide cover fire if necessary. The skids of the aircraft almost touched the ground when Billy was about to make a run for the helicopter, but Silva's men had spotted them and opened fire. Bullets whizzed by their heads as Kate dove for cover pulling the sniper down with her. They hadn't left many alternatives except for some rocks lying at the margin of the forest. Bullets thudded into rocks and soil throwing up shards and plumes of dust as they searched for a way out.

Kate peered over the small formation of rocks and gasped. Rafael Silva himself was running in their direction, his rifle at the ready, yelling instructions to his men. In a matter of seconds, Kate made a decision. She whirled around to Billy who was keeping an eye on their sides.

"Give me your rifle!" she shouted over the noise.

Billy's head jerked up. It was the tone officers would use to give orders to their soldiers and he had spent so much time in the service that he recognized it immediately. He would have obeyed when it hadn't been Kate who'd spoken to him.

"Do it!" she urged him once more and too stunned to do otherwise, Billy complied. He watched her fumbling with the zipper of her jacket pocket. But as she pulled out the small item, his breath caught in his throat and he knew what she was about to do.

"No, no, no!" Billy yelled as she shoved the USB flash drive into his hands. "Don't you even think about going after Silva! It…" But the look in Kate's eyes silenced him immediately.

"I have to do that." she said calmly. "You have to trust me on this."

He didn't respond immediately. It had been only a gut feeling when she'd come up with the idea of splitting up, but when he'd looked into her eyes he knew for sure what she was up to. She wanted to face Silva. She wanted to avenge Toll's death. And even though she was not in her best shape with her injured arm and the constant lack of sleep, she radiated such decisiveness and confidence; he knew he would not be able to stop her.

He mumbled something under his breath and Kate was pretty sure she'd heard the words _insane _and_ crazy_, but she didn't care. The tiredness and exhaustion had been lifted from her, adrenaline keeping her on her feet and awake and focused in a way she hadn't been since she'd been stabbed. She knew the effects would not last forever but she would do her best to make sure at least one of them would make it out alive.

"Take the short way over there." she pointed to their two o'clock. "I'll be right behind you. If everything goes according to plan, I'll come out there." she showed him a spot farther right. The lake's edge would be still broad enough for the Expendables to pick her up.

Billy nodded as he gave her one last long look. He knew there were only two ways this would end. And it was within the bounds of possibility that Kate would not make it out alive. He shoved the thumb drive into the zip pocket of his vest and cupped her face with his hands. Drinking her in, he forgot his surroundings completely and as he pressed his lips against hers, he tried to memorize every detail of her. The moment lasted only seconds before he and Kate wordlessly broke contact and watched Silva's men coming closer and closer.

"On my command." Kate whispered and raised the rifle. Tightening the grip around the metal bar, feeling the soft curve of the trigger under her forefinger she tried to focus on anything but the man next to her. She had to keep it together or everything she and Billy had been through and most of all Tolls' death had been in vain.

She glanced to the helicopter. Hale and Gunnar had a clear visual on her so she gestured them to provide cover fire for Billy to run in their direction, using military hand signals. They confirmed her plan and Kate turned again. She had to wait for the right moment where Silva's men would be within her shooting distance but not within reach to damage the helicopter or harm her friends.

"Go!" Kate yelled and started firing at Silva's men. Three of the dozen he'd brought with them dropped dead immediately, five more followed by the fire Hale and Gunnar provided. As Billy ran towards the helicopter, he didn't take the direct way but kept close to the trees and shrubs to have at least a minimum of cover. Additionally, he didn't want to hamper Hale and Gunnar by getting into their line of fire.

He had made a fair amount of the distance to the helicopter, when somebody jumped on him from the shrubs to his side. He was too astonished to pull his gun out of the back waistband of his pants as he realized that it was not one of Silva's men attacking him but the brunette from the club he'd met a few days ago. Confusion paralyzed him, long enough for her to pull a knife and engage with him. Only when the blade was inches from his torso, he raised his arm and blocked the attack. But she didn't back off. The look in her cold eyes was telling him that she would not give up until he was dead. So finally he started to fight back. It was a weird thing for him to fight a woman. She was not as strong as he was, but smaller hence faster and more agile. A few times she came close to injure him, but every time he blocked her moves. Then he managed to kick the knife out of her hand. It flew through the air, landing far out of reach for both of them.

While Billy fought the woman, Kate saw Silva taking cover behind a tree, redirecting his men before he started to make his way to her position. She peered around the rocks and their eyes met for a second. Then he took off running in her direction. Kate knew that the moment of truth had arrived and took one last deep breath. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Billy had made it to safety and felt her heart almost come to a standstill as she saw him fighting with somebody. It took her a moment to realize that it was the brunette woman from the club. Anger rushed through her veins. She knew it! She'd known it the whole time that something about her had been off. She quickly scanned her front to see how far Silva had enclosed her; then she shot another look in Billy's direction. Why was he still fighting with her? He was clearly more advanced and stronger than her.

But she had no time to pursue her thoughts because she had to duck her head as bullets started tormenting the rock she was crouched behind. It was a tremendously complex situation she'd rarely experienced since she'd been deployed. Three fights at different sights, fire form multiple directions, the deafening noise of the helicopter. She closed her eyes for a nanosecond to focus.

The remaining four men, the brunette and Silva were still alive. While their leader was heading for Kate, the three others went for the aircraft, but it was a bad idea. One after one dropped down dead, killed by the deadly rounds the Expendables fired from the aircraft. But Kate didn't take notice of it; all she could think about was Rafael Silva. He was going after her because they suspected that she was still in possession of the thumb drive. She quickly checked her clip and cursed as she saw that it was almost empty. She had only five bullets left.

Waiting for her enemy to come closer, she raised her rifle and when she was absolutely sure that he must appear to her right side any moment, she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. Yanking up the rifle using it to fight Silva, she landed a few nasty punches, but it was not enough to finish him off. It was a relentless fight and with every punch Silva landed on her, she felt more dizzy and feeble. But her stubbornness kept her going. She would kill Silva or die trying.

And then after endless minutes or seconds, Kate could not tell how much time had passed, her opportunity came. When Silva was dazed, she kicked him hard in the guts causing him roll onto his back. She jumped to her feet and pulled out the gun she'd been carrying in her waistband and without hesitation she aimed and pulled the trigger.

The two shots rang through the air almost simultaneously and everything seemed to fall silent for a second.

The air was knocked from her lungs and she stumbled a few steps back. Slowly she sank onto her knees, her hand moving upwards to her chest. Through the dull thumb of the rotors she could hear the Expendables shout her name, but she didn't take notice. Her eyes were glued to the body lying in front of her. Silva's dead eyes were looking unfocused into the grey sky, a nasty whole disfiguring his pale face, a gun in his limp hand.

"Sorry, buddy. But I go just for the kill shot." she muttered; then everything went black.


	16. Chapter 16

"Kate!"

Somebody was calling her name. It was distant, but getting clearer.

"Kate!"

Now, she could make out a second voice.

Was she dead? No, she couldn't be. She could obviously hear, smell the cold winter air. But she didn't feel anything and she was afraid to open her eyes. Then a hand moved to her neck and just when the fingertips touched her skin, the pain rushed into her body, burning through her veins like boiling water. She needed to get rid of it. Now. Her hands tightened around the wrist, ready to defend herself. But the pain didn't go away. Instead, she heard the voice once again.

"Kate. It's me. Billy. You are safe."

_Billy._

Panting she looked up, a hunted look in her eyes, only to find the sniper hovering over her. His face was pale, but his eyes were sparkling in their most beautiful blue nuance, it calmed her instantly. Billy stroke back her hair as she blinked a few times, returning to the here and now.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded slowly and released his hand, trying to get up, groaning with pain as she felt where Silva's bullet had hit her. Luckily, it hadn't gone through the vest she'd been wearing ever since she'd left the hotel, but her ribs were hurting like hell and she couldn't breathe properly. Her entire body was aching. It was an unpleasant yet forceful reminder that she was alive. She tried to get into a sitting position, but she had no strengths left.

"Hey, easy." Billy said and effortless he shifted her so that she could lean against his knees while looking at him.

"What happened?" she asked faintly. Everything felt so slow and blurred and she had trouble putting the events into the correct order. Billy helped her, briefly recalling the latest events.

"You fought with Silva. He sneaked up to you from behind, you struggled, he fell and you both pulled your weapons…" he trailed off.

Kate took in a deep breath as she heard she tremble within his voice. It had been a close call.

"It's over. Let's get out of here." somebody spoke the exact words she'd been thinking.

Kate turned her head only to see Hale kneeling next to her as well. She gave him an agreeing nod and got to her feet, supported by Billy who was half embracing her, half helping her to stand. With one last look at the enemy, she turned and limped towards the helicopter.

They made their way across the gravel riverbed of the lake and Kate's eyes caught sight of Silva's dead men. Their bodies were pierced with rounds from Hale's and Gunnar's guns and she couldn't help but feel a grim satisfaction. She saw another body, smaller than the other ones. Her brown hair was splayed around her head, her face pointing to the ground. A single hole was coloring the grey fabric of her jacket in dark crimson.

Hale, how'd followed her gaze, said: "We had to take her out, she was quite a bitch."

She looked to Billy, astonished that he hadn't killed her and now realized that he was bleeding from a cut on his lip and a black eye was starting to color the left side of his face.

"You really need to cut the gentleman-crap." she muttered as their eyes met.

Billy shot her an amused look and smirked.

"Let's get you home, Evans."

The wind produced by the rotors made it hard to approach and she stumbled a few times, having no strength left after the fight with Silva. She was so drained she had to be pulled up into the aircraft by Gunnar and Yin who settled her between themselves. Sitting between the two mercenaries and took in the sight of the familiar faces, not quite believing her eyes. She was like in a bubble. Everything happened with her participating and somehow not participating in it. The helicopter rose into the air and it took her a few moments to process that she and Billy were finally safe.

She looked at Billy who was probed up against some boxes installed into the aircraft. His blue eyes were a mirror of her thoughts. The humor from just seconds ago had vanished, replace by incredulousness as he reciprocated her look. He rose and wordlessly, he and Gunnar swapped places. Sitting down next to Kate, he put an arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder and took in a deep breath. She could feel Billy placing his chin on top of her head.

"We did it, huh?" she murmured as she watched the forests of Novi Pazar shrink underneath them.

"Yeah…" Billy hummed against her hair. Feeling her next to him was all the assurance he needed. They were safe, they were finally safe. He closed his eyes for a second and while the helicopter carried them back to the city, he thanked God that they'd survived.

* * *

The flight to the small airport where they'd left their plane, the boarding and the takeoff passed in a haze for Kate who had no strengths left to keep her eyes open. She barely remembered being supported by Billy while walking to Barney's plane and sitting down letting Hale check on her injury and renew the dressing Billy had put on. She was asked questions from each of the Expendables but even though she could hear each of them clearly the words didn't reach her mind. She realized that Billy was answering a few of them but at some point he stopped them to give her time to rest and recover. As soon as she had sat in her seat, her head leaned against the cold metal wall, the humming and the vibrations of the rotors lulled her into an exhausting sleep.

When she awoke an unknown amount of time later, she found herself lying, her head in Billy's lap, his hand loosely draped across her shoulder. His even breathing told her that he was sleeping so she closed her eyes once more and enjoyed the comfortable resting position and the peace of this moment. She would have to face the events of the past days soon enough. A few minutes passed before she felt the change. Billy had woken up. He took a deep breath and squeezed her shoulder lightly.

"You're awake." he mumbled, still quite groggy.

Kate sighed. She should have known that she could not fool _her _sniper. She swung her legs on the ground and got into a sitting position with a helping hand of Billy.

"How are you holding up?" he asked as he watched her stroking back her hair. While he had washed the dirt and blood from his face and changed his jacket and shirt for clean clothes, she still looked tired not to mention filthy and quite a bit roughed up from her fight with Silva's men and the guy himself. But as a smile crept onto her features and he silently sighed with relief.

"I'm good. Nothing a hot shower and a long nap couldn't cure."

"Not to mention a detour to the doctor." he added with a hint towards her arm. "Hale says this has to be treated."

Kate glanced at the bandage which was soaked with blood again.

"Yeah, probably not a bad idea." she winced as she tried to flex her arm.

They sat in silence for a few moments and for the first time, Kate took notice of her environment. Hale, Gunnar and Yin were sitting opposite of them, trying not too obvious to stare in her direction. They all looked tired, but now they smiled at her.

"Hey guys." she said still a little sleepy. "Good to see you."

"Glad to have you back in one piece." Gunnar said kindly and earned a nod from Hale and Yin.

The pang of guilt knocked the air out of her lungs for a second time that day as the words sank in. Kate knew they hadn't meant it in the way she'd picked it up, but there was a fact nobody could deny: she and Billy were back, but Toll never would come home.

"Hey, take it easy." Billy said, as he watched her getting onto her feet insecurely.

"I'm fine."

The decisiveness in her tone earned her an astonished look from Yin, Gunnar and Hale, but Billy merely shrugged. He knew her well enough to foresee what was coming up next. He watched her walk over to the cockpit where Barney and Lee were speaking in low voices. As she reached the doorway, the Brit turned and gave her a warm smile.

"How do you feel, Love?" he asked her, the concern and sympathy in his voice genuine.

"A lot better now that I am back with you guys." she gave him a small smile and shot a look in Barney's direction. "Can you give us a minute?"

Lee nodded and rose. Kate let him pass and sat down at his vacant seat. For a few moments she remained silent, sorting her thoughts as she watched the clouds pass by. Then as she was about to start her speech, Barney suddenly spoke up.

"Don't you dare apologizing for Toll's death." he merely said, his voice calm and free of anger or rage.

Kate's head jerked up.

"But he is dead because…"

"He is dead because gave his life so that you could escape. He made himself expendable for the life of his team member."

With the last word, she turned, looking directly at Barney. For the first time he really faced her, giving her just the tiniest of smiles.

"And you have proven to be a real Expendable too, Kate Evans. You were willing to do the job, because we couldn't and you kept Billy safe when he wasn't able to fight."

It took her a few moments to let the words sink in. Ever since she'd awoken on the lake's edge everything seemed to happen a little bit too fast for her head to keep up with. Absentmindedly, she wondered whether she'd suffered a concussion or something was wrong with her ears. Barney Ross was actually appreciating her work and thanking her for what she'd done. It was as much as a compliment she would get from the Expendables' leader. Recalling his words, she wondered how he knew about Billy's breakdown, but there were more pressing matters on her mind.

"We had each other's backs. That's what anyone would have done. But I will take full responsibility for Toll's death. Just give me the word and I am leaving." she said calmly, surprised how much the words actually hurt her.

Once more, she would be forced to leave the men she'd become so accustomed to be around.

Once more, she was forced to give up a job she'd started not only to like but to love.

Once more, she would be forced to leave Billy and God knew when she would see him again.

"You will not do that." The finality in Barney's confused her even more. "You've proven yourself out there beyond every expectation. As much as I hate saying that: We need people like you. And besides…" a smile curled his lips "… Billy would kick my ass if I let you go."

Kate gaped at him, not able to hide her blush. Now, she was certain. She had suffered a concussion. But Barney merely smiled at her. They sat in silence for a few moments, Kate wound up in thoughts, unable to process the consequences of this mission.

"Get some rest, Evans." he said softly as he sensed it.

"Yes, Sir." Kate simply replied and rose, glad that somebody was calling the shots for her. She turned and was about to pass the doorway that separated the cockpit from the rear of the plane when she paused. She took in the sight of the five men looking at her. Lee was saying something to Hale what made him shake his head in agreement. Yin was his usual reclusive self, eyes directed to the opposite wall of the plane, not paying much attention to the conversation next to him. And Gunnar was sharpening the blade of a ridiculously huge knife with such devotion; Kate could not help but smile.

She thought back to the day when she'd met them for the first time, back in New Orleans in the small bar. They'd been so hostile and distant. But while they formed a quite peculiar group of people, they all had the same goal: to hunt down bad guys. And when Barney had offered her to be part of the Expendables, she felt proud.

Her gaze wandered to Billy who reciprocated her look with an imperceptible jerk of his head. He knew what she and Barney had spoken about, the second she'd left her place. She gave him a small nod and couldn't help but roll her eyes as she watched his expression was telling her: 'Told you he wouldn't kick you out.'

She returned to her seat and plunged down next to him. She would think about the consequences for herself and her life later. There would be some changes, it was without a doubt. But all she wanted now was to get some rest. Real sleep without the fear of being ambushed at any second. They exchanged one silent look before she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes and for the rest of the flight she dozed away.

* * *

She didn't wake up until they landed on the small airstrip next to Barney's farmhouse. Having almost no gear left, Kate exited the plane and took in a deep breath of the familiar air. It smelled like home. She gazed to the farmhouse and to the barns which had been her home for the past few weeks. It seemed ages ago that they'd left. She entered the house and sat down at the old kitchen table to watch the bustle around her. Weapons were carried back into the storage, duffle bags unloaded and beers popped open. It felt strange, ordinary, and Kate realized that the time would come when she had to face the memories of the recent events. But it was not time yet.

"Take these, they'll help you."

Billy's voice roused her from her stiffness. Her gaze dropped to the small box of painkillers in his hand. Mechanically, she took two pills, washing them down with a glass of water.

"Thanks." she said looking up with a small smile. By now she realized that his bulletproof vest was gone as well as his guns and other gear. He looked different and all the same at the same time.

"Come." he said softly, offering her a hand to get up. She shot him a confused glance. "Barney's got a friend in town who will patch you up. It's a surgeon who asks no questions. Come on, Evans. It doesn't get any better if you sit around here." he tried to lighten her mood as he heard her groan.

"Why? Why do you keep me dragging around, Billy Timmons?" Kate complained teasingly but complied and followed him to his car.

The short drive to the doctor was quiet; both either caught up in thoughts or too exhausted to speak. They stopped in front of a small white house in the outskirts of the nearby town. Billy helped Kate out of the car and led the way to the entrance. By the second ring, the door was opened. An elderly man with grey hair appeared in the doorframe and greeted them with a friendly smile.

"Ah, Mr. Timmons. Barney called. How are you doing?"

"Fine. Thank you, Sir." he replied with the sort of politeness he'd learned when being in the Army. "Kate Evans this is Dr. Martin Ryan." Billy introduced the medic as they shook hands. It was obvious that they knew each other and the way they interacted, showed her that this must have been the man who had treated Billy's injuries he'd suffered in Albania. Now, the doctor greeted her as well and led them through the living room and his study to a small room which could easily have been in a surgery. Kate wondered how Barney and Dr. Ryan had met.

"Let's have a closer look." he said; his voice deep and calm as he indicated her to sit down. Kate stripped off her jacket and Dr. Ryan removed the dressing before turning to her arm.

"How long since you procured this injury?"

Kate thought for a moment. "48 hours. Maybe a little less."

"It's quite a gash you have here." He turned her arm examining the wound closer. "You're going to need a few stitches."

That was not what she wanted to hear. She longed for a hot shower and her bed and had hoped that this appointment would be over more quickly.

"Can't you just glue it or something?"

"The gash is too long, it could re-open. I'll have to put in several stitches to keep it closed, as well as some tape over that. I've got some local anesthetic that should dull the pain."

"It's not that bad."

"Don't argue with your doctor." Billy inserted as he sat down beside her. Kate rolled her eyes at him and got a shrug in reply. He knew that she wanted this to be over as fast as possible, but it was necessary that somebody treated her injury.

"This is going to sting." Dr. Ryan warned her before dousing the cut in alcohol.

The pain came out of nowhere. Kate barely suppressed a scream. This was worse than she'd expected. Billy saw her body tense and reached out to grasp her hand. She held on tightly for several moments before her grip loosened a bit.

"This is almost more painful than actually getting slashed." she remarked, trying to sound casual about it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner."

Looking into his face she was a little surprised to find an expression indicating his deep regret. He was still beating himself up over the fact that he hadn't kept it together when they'd been at the helicopter wreck and Kate knew it would take him some time to get over it.

"You came, that's the main thing." she told him softly but the look in his eyes wouldn't fade. She watched the doctor preparing the syringe for the anesthesia and the supplies he would need to close the wound. Then he started working on her arm.

"Hey, don't watch, look at me."

Billy held Kate's hand in both of his own. He had seen people get stitched up before, but this time was different. Her slender arms and soft skin seemed too fragile to be putting a needle and thread through. She tried to glance over while the medic worked, but again Billy gave her hand a gentle squeeze to get her attention.

A couple tears slid down her face, Kate couldn't manage to stop them. The sheer magnitude about what had happened to them became evident as the medic patched her up. They'd cheated death this time and every inch of that scar would remind her of that. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself and tried to focus on something else.

"Okay, we're almost finished." Dr. Ryan announced after a couple of minutes, looking up to her with a reassuring smile. "I'll just bandage your arm and you'll be good to go."

Kate nodded gratefully and turned to Billy.

"Thanks for sitting here with me."

"It's the least I can do." he said quietly.

Kate searched for his eyes. His calm manner was soothing her instantly and she wondered how he managed to be that composed after all they'd been through. She'd thought that the long hours of sleep would help her, but when she couldn't hold back the tears while being stitched up she realized how emotionally drained she was.


	17. Chapter 17

Back at the farmhouse, the Expendables were waiting with dinner. Despite both, Kate and Billy having lost track of time completely, after flying halfway around the world and being on the run for almost two days, realized how hungry they were and sat down at the table, digging in as everybody else.

It was odd to sit at a table, eating steak and salad. _Civilized, calm, ordinary_, Kate caught herself thinking as she ate mechanically. It was the first real food since the day before their departure to the meeting with Silva. She, Billy and Toll had ordered food, watched a movie, hung out together. Like friends, unaware of what they would face the next day. As her thoughts wandered to their dead friend, a huge lump formed her throat, killing her appetite instantly. She put down her fork and watched the others.

They ate in silence for a while before the Expendables started asking questions about the events in Serbia. Billy took over the major part of telling their story, sensing that Kate was not in the mood to speak, her just filling in details here and there. Grief mingled with anger as they spoke about Toll, but turned into grim satisfaction as Barney and his team learned how many of Silva's men they'd taken out during their getaway.

It was late when they finished dinner. Still the Expendables discussed numerous things about the mission, not aware of the fact that they were not helping either Kate or Billy one bit when dragging them through the memories of what they'd experienced. Kate turned to Billy who was sitting next to her.

"God, I would do anything for a hot shower and my bed." she groaned quietly as Lee put another round of beers in front of them.

"Tell me about that." he murmured back. He didn't want to appear impolite and leave the small gathering they'd set up for their safe return nor did Kate. But it would do her no good if she kept sitting around and the tense look on her face told him that she was not doing well.

When Gunnar asked Kate if she could remember anything about the IED's they had barely escaped, the young woman couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to be dragged through those memories, at least not now.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but I am really tired." she excused herself, unconsciously clutching her arm. The soreness and dull throbbing after the anesthetic had worn out slowly turned into aching pain.

"Don't be, Love." Lee nodded in understanding. "Sleep tight and get well soon."

"Thanks again, guys." Kate replied and rose. With a small smile to Billy, she silently bit him good night and went upstairs to her room.

Opening the wooden door and flicking on the lights, Kate took in the sight of what had been her home for the past weeks. Images of her training with the each of the Expendables flashed through her mind. Vividly, she remembered the playfulness before they'd headed for Serbia and grief enclosed her heart like an icy fist. It hadn't been easy with them and especially with Barney and his hostility towards her, but she'd enjoyed the daily preparations with Toll and Billy. Memories of sitting in the kitchen, talking about random things came back and with the final realization that only one of them hadn't made it back home, she couldn't keep it together any longer. A strangled sob escaped her lips and she quickly shut the door, sliding down and leaning against it, face buried in her hands. Tear streamed down her face as she vent her emotions.

She'd been forced onto this mission and besides all the curveballs who had been thrown at her, she'd done her job. She'd secured the thumb drive and against all odds she'd survived. But nobody, not even Church and the immunity he'd promised her could make up for the horrors they'd been through while evading Silva's men. She didn't know how Billy was coping with it and she would eventually ask him later, but she had the feeling that he was doing much better with it than she was.

_Come on, Evans. You have been through much worse_, she scolded herself, as she wiped angry tears from her eyes. But had she really been through worse? Worse than seeing a friend die to save her life? Worse than being almost killed by a pile of IEDs? Worse than fighting twelve trained men while her friend was in some sort of post-traumatic shock?

_Billy…_

She had been in countless dangerous situations, but not a single one where somebody she deeply cared about had been in harm's way. It was the very reason she had been so scared and not because of Silva she realized now. Even though she was glad that Billy had been with her and had her back, she'd never been more terrified to lose him than back in those forests. It was a sudden comprehension she was not sure where to place it, but it was helpful and it somehow cleared the paralyzing fog her mind. She was scared of losing Billy. And that fear she was able to channel and cope with. Hopefully.

It took her a while to stop the tears from falling, but when she was empty of emotions she felt better. Calmer. Peaceful. She knew it would take her some time to get over what had happened, but she'd made it out alive and she hoped it would make her a stronger person.

She looked down at herself and for the first time became aware of her appearance. Her boots were filthy and dirt was sticking to her jeans mingled with blood. Her vest and jacket were gone and she vaguely remembered Billy helping her changing her shirt for a comfortable hoodie. She ran her fingers through her hair and sucked in a sharp breath as she felt the knots within the strands. She needed a shower and she needed it now. With one last sigh, she rose.

While gathering all the things she needed, she realized that it was probably not a good idea to shower with a freshly stitched up arm and the bandage. The plastic wrap she'd given Billy a few days earlier came to her mind. Sighing about the delay of her longed shower, she kicked off her shoes and padded to Billy's room opposite of hers. She would've bet that he was still with the rest of the team, but as she enclosed his door, he heard a faint noise indicating that he was already in his room.

"Hey." she smiled sheepishly as he opened the door by the first knock. "I was just wondering if you still got some of the plastic wrap; to keep the bandage dry."

"Yeah, sure. Come in." he replied and let her pass. He went to his bathroom and searched for the roll.

Maybe it was just her, but Kate could not help but feel awkward. They'd constantly been together for the past three days and now she was knocking on his door, waiting for his permission to see him? It was somehow ridiculous.

_Get a grip, Evans. We're back home and not in Serbia. Time to get used to the normal life_, she scolded herself as she became aware of the direction her thoughts had taken. Quickly, she busied her mind with something else.

"How's your arm doing?" Kate asked as she heard him rummaging through his belongings.

"Fine, thanks." he called back.

"Dr. Ryan should have taken a look at it." she remarked as Billy reemerged.

"I trust your work. Look, it is fine." he replied bending his arm waving the roll in his hand.

Kate laughed.

"I've seen plenty of you having regained your flexibility, Mr. Timmons. I want to take a closer look at the wound."

She waited patiently as he rolled up his sleeve. Carefully she removed the dressing and examined the cut. Despite the lack to treatment over the past days it had healed well. Pleased with her work she nodded.

"You should be able to remove the stitches within a few days." she said as she ran her fingers along the gash. Billy observed her with a smile. She was always worried about the wellbeing of the others instead of taking care of herself. It was the reason why she'd been shot back in Afghanistan, why she'd been discharged, why she'd been stabbed by Silva. It was basically the reason why she was right here, right now, with him.

Now, he watched her pick up the plastic wrap, ruffling through her hair using her injured hand by habit, her face showing a flicker of pain as she stretched her arm too much.

"Let me help you with that."

"I'm good."

"No, you're not." he insisted and took the roll from her hands.

She would rather die than admit that she needed help, Billy thought as he cut a fair amount of the transparent tissue from the roll. When he'd left the team shortly after Kate he'd intended to check on her before going to bed. But as he'd reached her door, he had heard her crying and his heart had dropped. She'd been so brave, so strong. But some force kept him from knocking at her door and comforting her. As much as he wanted to be there for her, he also wanted to give her some space to sort her thoughts about what had happened. It would take them some time and he was still not sure whether they would be able to walk away from it that easily. And Billy decided to find out rather sooner than later.

Observing the sniper as he wrapped the plastic tissue around her arm carefully, Kate silently smiled about him being that tender. But as he finished his dressing, he didn't let go of her arm. Kate looked up to him and was taken aback by the expression in his eyes. His dark blue orbs were like a mirror of what she'd felt only a few minutes ago. She could see still fresh the grief about Toll, but also the gratitude and incredulousness that they'd made it home. And fear. Fear for the other and that something would happen to him. Instinctively, she reached for him as he put his muscular arms around her.

"Shh, it's alright." he soothed her as s small sob escaped her; stroking her back.

"I know, but it's just…" she trailed off.

"Yeah, I know…" he murmured as he bent down to kiss her.

They'd come so close to die and neither Billy nor Kate wanted to waste any precious second of their time together. They both knew they had to get back to normal, that they could not stay together 24/7, but tonight they needed each other. But their definitions of the word _together_ somewhat differed and Kate became aware of it as the kiss deepened and Billy walked her back to the door to shut it. Realizing what he was going to do, she brought a little space between them.

"Billy…" she warned half-heartedly.

"Stay." he murmured.

It were not his words that made her comply, it was the look in his eyes. They were filled with affection and worry. And as his lips found hers again, Kate could not only see but feel the determination to protect her and keep her safe and the promise that he would be there for her; no matter what.

Willingly, she let herself sink into the sensation as his hands wandered under her tank top, making quick work of it as well as of her pants. She helped him get out of his clothes and let him walk her to the bathroom, his lips never leaving hers, her body close to his.

Billy dissolved their embrace only for a second to turn on the water, but as he turned around to her again, his gaze dropped on the circular mark right above her heart. An almost black bruise was forming where Silva's bullet must have hit her vest.

"What the…" he gasped but she silenced him with an almost painfully tender kiss.

"I am alright." she whispered as she cupped his face with her hands. Though she was having trouble breathing it didn't matter to her. All she needed now was Billy. His physical presence was a reminder to her that she was safe, alive and well.

He reciprocated the kiss as he ran his fingers through her hair, forbidding himself to think about how close she'd come to die. And while he pulled her with him under the jet of water, he vowed that he would do everything is his power to keep her safe.

Feeling the water run over her aching body was unpleasant at first, causing the numerous cuts and bruises on her skin to sting and throb, but after a while her muscles relaxed. She looked to Billy who had his eyes closed, while the water was running over his head and down his body. She smiled at the sight. He became aware of that she was observing him and after a wordless look, he pulled her close, peppering her lips, neck and shoulders with hot kisses. Feeling Billy's lips on her sensitive skin, Kate all but moaned at his seductive touch.

She didn't stop him as he started to massage shampoo into her hair, rinsing it and taking the washcloth rubbing gentle circles across her entire body, literally removing the traces of the past days. They were in their own bubble and Kate doubted that anybody could bring them to snap out of it.

When Billy had finished his work she took the cloth from him and repeated the procedure, taking her time to really explore his body for the first time. With the soft tissue she traced the features of his muscular torso, his arms, his back; her lips following the trail of the cloth. He leaned into her touch, interrupting her ever so often with passionate yet tender kisses.

Her thoughts wandered to the last time she'd been in this room with him and the intense moment they're shared back then.

"What is it with us and bathrooms?" she mumbled as his lips left hers for a second. He chuckled against her shoulder, his hands wandering downwards to her hips, his grip comfortably tight and firm as he held her.

"I don't know. But I start to like them."

* * *

The next morning Kate woke up by the bright sunbeams on her face. They were tickling her skin and for a moment she just enjoyed the peace and quiet and thanked God that she was alive. She opened her eyes and turned to Billy who was still asleep. The covers of his bed were loosely draped around his muscular body, showing his arms and torso. For a while she took in his features, expression completely relaxed as he lay there, sound asleep. She listened to his even breathing, but her fingers itched to touch him, so she began to draw circles with her finger on his back. It didn't take a lot to wake the sniper. He stirred, then opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

"Good morning." he smiled as he stretched himself luxuriously.

"Hey." she replied softly as she took him in with a long look. Billy reciprocated it a little bewildered.

"What is it?"

"You look awful." she smirked gesturing at his black eye.

"Ditto." he grinned back as he placed a strand of hair behind her ear and bent down to kiss her.

Kate chuckled against his lips as she reciprocated the kiss. He was about to crawl over her, when she suddenly groaned with pain, reminding both what they'd been through the past two days.

"Sorry…" Billy mumbled and backed off.

She shook her head and snuggled into his warm body while he ran his fingers through her hair.

"It's alright. Don't worry."

And indeed, she was feeling much better than yesterday. Their little escape to the shower seemed to have worked magically on her mind. The memories were far away and it didn't even cost her much energy to keep them from her mind. Still sleepy she decided not to worry for how long this effect would last but enjoy the peace of the moment. They laid there in silence for a while. But the longer the silence lasted, the more restless grew Kate. The peacefulness from minutes ago had vanished and as her thoughts had wandered into the future and what it might hold for her, one person in particular had eventually crossed her mind.

"What's bothering you?" Billy asked at some time. Kate raised her head shooting him a disbelieving look.

"Now you are not only a mercenary and a sniper but a mind reader, too?" she all but groaned.

Billy laughed.

"No, but you forget that I know you quite well."

"Yeah." she mumbled, retrieving her previous position. "It's Church." she confessed after a while. "I hope he will let this go as soon as he has the thumb drive."

"He will." Billy assured her.

"But if he won't?"

"Then Barney and I will take care of him." Billy smirked as he shifted her in his arms. The thought had crossed his mind as well, but he decided that he would not help her if he encouraged her dark thoughts. Instead, he did what had helped the most in the past: distracting her from her thoughts.

And as Kate heart the words from her friend and saw the grin on his lips, she could not help herself but smile. It never ceased to amaze her how he could be so optimistic yet confident about things. She popped up her head on her uninjured arm facing him directly.

"Billy Timmons, I'll hold you to that." she laughed and kissed him.

* * *

They stayed in bed for another hour, chatting about random things. It was helpful to talk about ordinary things like the food or what they would do in the next days and Kate had the feeling that slowly, they returned to the life they called normal. After a while they stopped talking, both dwelling on thoughts, enjoying each other's presence. For both of them, it was the first time since they'd admitted their feelings, that they had really time to perceive the other. The times they'd been together had been really brief and always with half of their thoughts with the mission and what would lay ahead of them. But now, nobody was rushing them.

Kate feeling the warm skin of his bare chest under her fingertips, discovering how large his hands were in comparison to hers and he entwined their fingers. Billy had developed a habit of playing with strands of her hair, twirling them around his index finger, letting them fall onto her shoulders or the pillow. It was a nice feeling and Kate silently smiled about him being so gentle with her. It was quite a contrast to how he was on the job. With every passing second she relaxed more, her head free of thoughts, just enjoying this intimate peaceful moment. Both Kate and Billy were still tired and the quiet eventually lulled them into sleep once more.

An unknown amount of time later, Kate woke again. Her head was placed against Billy's shoulder and his arm was loosely draped across her stomach. She smiled as she observed him for a few seconds. It was a comfortable position, her bodies fitting perfectly together as they lay there and Kate wondered when they'd become so familiar with each other. But even though she enjoyed Billy's proximity, she was kind of restless. Careful not to wake him she snug out of his embrace and reached for one of his shirts hanging over the chair next to his bed. Her gaze fell upon their clothes discarded all over the room and she couldn't help but blush at the memories of last night.

She padded over to the window and glanced outside. The grounds of Barney's farm lay silent in front of her. The sky was shrouded in clouds, the pale sun casting a faint light on the grassy space and the forest. Frost was glistening on the roofs of the barns and Kate unconsciously wrapped her arms around her body. Her gaze automatically wandered to the tree line which marked the edge of the forest. It was a habit she'd developed ever since she'd arrived here. The woods had been her personal space to center herself when the world around her was going crazy. But after all that had happened she wasn't sure whether this environment would ever be the same for her.

"Hey."

Two arms snug around her waist as Billy placed his chin on her shoulder, his nose nestling in the crook of her neck. Kate leaned into his touch and smiled at this unexpected show of affection.

"Hey." she murmured back without looking at him.

"What's up?"

His hands wandered to her hips as he continued to caress her shoulder with his lips. She could feel the heat radiating from his naked torso. It was quite distracting and it took Kate quite some effort to focus.

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar." he chuckled as he followed her gaze.

Kate sighed as she gave in.

"I don't know how to explain it." she began after a while, sorting the words in her head. "It just came to my mind when it looked outside. My whole life I felt completely safe in the woods. I would go there whenever it had trouble, when life around me seemed too fast. The nature always calmed me, helped me center my thoughts. But after all that's happened, how am I supposed to feel that way again? How am I supposed to go back in there without constantly looking over my shoulder?"

She looked to him for the first time, expecting him to answer her question. Billy shifted her in his arms so that they faced each other. He raised his hand and placed a strand of hair behind her ear as he thought about her words. He'd always known that the woods and hunting meant a lot to her, but this confession showed him another facet of her personality. She was not afraid of the danger that might lurk behind one of those trees nor of the memories for their latest mission. It was the fear that something that she loved would not be the same for her. He didn't know why, but he could relate to her.

"Why don't we find out?" he suggested softly and reached for her hand.

Kate looked at him, then at the forest before she answered him. Her agreement to his suggestion was barley a whisper and while looking at her, Billy felt his protective instincts arise again. There she was standing in front of him, dressed with one of his shirts which made her look even more fragile.

"You'll be fine." he said with a reassuring squeeze of her hand. "You're not in on this alone, remember?"

His words were simple but effective nonetheless and they gave her the confidence and faith she needed. She knew that he would stand by her side and help her as he'd done it so naturally ever since they'd met for the first time.

* * *

After getting dressed in their respective rooms, Kate and Billy met downstairs. The house lay unusually quiet and as they entered the kitchen they found it vacant. A single sheet of paper was probed up against an empty beer bottle. Billy went to the table and picked it up.

"The guys went into town, the note doesn't say why." he informed Kate who was peering into the fridge.

"Hopefully on grocery shopping." she said as she closed the door.

Billy smirked and vanished through the door into one of the adjacent rooms. After a few minutes he returned, two guns in his hand. When Kate spotted the weapons, she shot Billy a questioning glance but the sniper merely shrugged.

"Better safe than sorry." he said as put the gun in the back waistband of his pants while handing her the other one.

"Yeah." Kate mumbled and stored the weapon, though not before checking it.

Billy wrote a quick note under the one from Barney saying that they went outside for a walk, then he grabbed his keys from the board near the door and closed the zipper of his jacket. He opened the door for Kate and let her pass, then locked it with his keys. Turning to her, he watched her staring to the tree line not far away.

"Ready?" he asked as he gave her a scrutinizing look.

Taking a deep breath, Kate squared her shoulders and without returning his glance she started to walk for the woods.

"Time to find out."


End file.
